In nature, everything exists in a hierarchy known as the food chain. Although there are cases of altruism and commensalism, the story of predator and prey is a relationship shared by all living things. As humans, we like to separate ourselves from the animals and pretend we our “civilized”, but we have our own chain; social stratification. This division of humanity into social positions is a concept found everywhere in different forms. In India the infamous caste system determines a person’s position from birth and remains throughout their life similar to feudalism in medieval Europe. However, some societies have provided methods of social mobility based on personal achievement to reduce some of the inequality that persists with stratification. This meritocracy ideology is fundamental to the “American Dream”, that anyone can become anything if they work hard. It sounds perfect, but sadly marginalization tends to limit the disadvantaged and less privileged. Social stratification is not solely based on economic class, a society’s beliefs and values also play a major role. I believe this may be the solution. Many brilliant thinkers have attempted to solve the problem of a powerful elite and lesser multitude. Karl Marx, the father of socialism and author of “The Communist Manifesto”, argues the flaw can …show more content…
Prior to this year I have only known him by his love of nature and poetry that of which we share. Surprisingly, I find political his ideologies to be just as compelling. Thoreau’s solution to the inequalities in social stratification is to eliminate complexity of civilization and society. Only this is not as easy as passing a law or reconstructing the government. This requires people to change what they care about and so seldom they do. Thoreau, an anti-materialist, suggest in his book “Walden” the endless treasures a man can have once he loses his