That’s not possible if status is zero-sum, which it appears to be. If everyone is equal in status, wouldn’t it be meaningless, like everyone being equally famous?
Actually, let me qualify. Everyone being equally famous wouldn’t necessarily be meaningless, but it would change the meaning of famous—instead of knowing about a few people, everyone would know about everyone. It would certainly make celebrity meaningless. I’m not really up to figuring out what equivalent status would mean.
Equivalent status is not desirable, people would just find ways of going up in status—or at least want to. Which is where the contradicting desires fall in. I guess in any utopia there will always be a status struggle. Maybe what we want is an equal opportunity at going up in status. That way we don’t feel bad for going up in status ourselves.
That’s not possible if status is zero-sum, which it appears to be. If everyone is equal in status, wouldn’t it be meaningless, like everyone being equally famous?
Actually, let me qualify. Everyone being equally famous wouldn’t necessarily be meaningless, but it would change the meaning of famous—instead of knowing about a few people, everyone would know about everyone. It would certainly make celebrity meaningless. I’m not really up to figuring out what equivalent status would mean.
Equivalent status is not desirable, people would just find ways of going up in status—or at least want to. Which is where the contradicting desires fall in. I guess in any utopia there will always be a status struggle. Maybe what we want is an equal opportunity at going up in status. That way we don’t feel bad for going up in status ourselves.