ABSTRACT
The French Revolution assumed that liberty and equality were companionable. The closest we come to class warfare is in the contentions between libertarians and egalitarians, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats on the relation between liberty and equality. The strength of the conservative case against equality is in its critique of radical egalitarianism. An obsession with equality can lead to a mistrust of distinction and merit, a leveling down of human possibility. The radical egalitarian suspects anything or anyone who rises above the crowd: the cathedral, the magnificent house, the epic work of art, the truly distinguished person. The problem arises when conservatives in their anti-egalitarian obsession fail to acknowledge legitimate claims of equality. The liberal argument for equality needs to take into account, as it often does not, the fairness of economic inequalities based on differences in talent, skill, and effort.
