Back to the future: Old values for a new (more equal) world

Inequality has become a defining feature of our time and concerns are growing that artificial intelligence, human-enhancement global ecological breakdown could cause levels to spiral upwards. Although public disapproval current inequalities is widespread, studies also show people don’t desire equality, but prefer ‘fair’, still significant inequalities. Here, I argue these preferences rooted in ideals meritocracy intuitive notions free will; values that’ll increasingly tenuous future human enhancement, where they legitimise mass Maintaining an illusion will often argued be needed disincentivise immoral behaviour, it creates vicious feedback: It provides social legitimacy substantial inequalities, which exacerbate precisely those behaviours the intended mitigate. However, meritocratic values, their foundational notion individual agency, neither natural nor inevitable – they’re mediated by practices. To see what egalitarian practices may look like, review rich anthropology literature on societies. This highlights irony, proposed contemporary politicians as remedy entrenched same seen origin inequality existing societies around world.