Pope Benedict and Equality

Check out this article on Pope Benedict and equality from Michael Miller of the Acton Institute.  In it he states "Radical equality now has become praiseworthy as something good in itself, separated from any question of truth, common sense, or even biological realities." 

Radical equality is based upon philosophical nominalism.  Nominalism posits that we can not "know" anything about reality.  Its best expression is Descarte's "I think, therefore I am."  The only thing that can be known is the self, and we can know precious little of that, only that we exist.  The outside world is unknowable.   All categories of "things" out in the world are artificial.  We really do not know what "rocks" are and all attempts to categorizes various similar phenomena (i.e. various types of rocks) as rocks are artifical constructs that we impose upon the world.  Thus we can not know "gender."  The concepts "male" and "female" are simply artifical constructs.  These social constructs are created by those in power.  Language is an instrument of power.  Critical Legal theory goes on to say that these constructs are used by the majority to subjugate and exploit the minority.  Further, since we ourselves have no knowable essence, we are simply the sum total of our experiences.  Since others are in charge of that experience, we are their victims; victims of social pressure and language.  Only by overthrowing the "male, female" constructs can the minority be free.  Fortunately, this is hogwash.

We can and do "know" things about the outside world.  Science has shown that there is a kind of dialog between the perceiving mind and the object being perceived.  Thus, before you thought, you were.  We are not simply the sum of our experiences.   We interact with our experiences, accept some, reject others.  If the nominalists were right, then all change would be impossible as everone would be bound by their experience.  Thus, another nominalist, Karl Marx, had to resort to the "vanguard" to lead his revolution.  The vanguard would be a group of people who had (magically) escaped the bonds of their social position.  When we deny reality, equality can only be enforced by state power.  All will be forced to hold the position of the minority, or, at least, act as though they held that belief.  Radical equality leads to oppression.  True equality requires an understanding of our nature and our standing equally before the state.