Are All Men Created Equal?

I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality. JOHN RANDOLPH OF ROANOKE. Bruce, vol. ii, p. 203.

Regardless of the theory of creation chosen, one always asks the question: "Are all men created equal?" either by chance or by program. The process of evolution and alteration of genes should make racists happy since with each cycle of conception, a roulette of genes is played that can theoretically produce inferior or superior men. Just like it is not possible that each throw of dice would give the same combination, each conception produces varied genetic combinations. The wild roulette of genes makes it possible to have some regressive and some aggressive genes creating inequality in intellect and physical attributes. Some races, often within short period of a few thousand years, show remarkable improvement in their intellect, while others perish away. Incestual inbreeding among the ancient Egyptian produced Cleopatra. Today, highly inbred societies show a host of medical disorders common to Jews, American Blacks and Zorastritians.

Besides genetic mutations due to inbreeding, random mutation, changes in behavior, in response to external stimuli, also play a significant role in the rise and fall of races and societies. The phenomenal rise of the Japanese people after the World War II should serve a good example. The Japanese race as a whole harbors certain values, either inculcated thorough genetics or through training, that helped them win self-respect and allowed them to rebound as one of the strongest economic forces in the world. In many cultures, honor is above any other consideration. Though Aristotelian argument that holding honor is not a weakness of human character, it is the relative definition of honor that keeps changing. A recent report from an Asian country described how a man killed his young sister and her children because he suspected her of infidelity to her husband. Such raw emotions are probably genetically oriented and exacerbated by cultural values. We can use the word warping of values to describe such behavior. Honor above self and for collective good begins to have greater meanings as societies progress; individuals survival becomes secondary to the greater noble cause of the survival of the clan.

Around the world, we are living through experiments in sociobiology. Our killing instincts are part of the survival game species play. But, for most part in a homogenous genetic species, members may give their lives to save others also. From the ant colonies programmed to sacrifice themselves for the good of the colony to the Kamikaze pilots of Japan we find ample examples of these types. But in an environment which does not challenge the instincts to sacrifice, the members of the society who wield destructive behavior appear dominating. The effect of genetic transmutations can be seen in relatively short turn over of species in behavior than necessary for morphologic changes. The prognosis is not very encouraging for societies inching into domination by genetically violent species; the future can not be peaceful, specially in those societies where the population growth rate is high. Higher population growth rates are likely to produce equal number of violent and ruthless numbers as the compliant and sacrificing members. In societies where resources are limited the Good Samaritans would not have the opportunity to dominate the destructive counterpart. Limited resources of a society also bring the worst out of the malicious members of the society.

Are all human beings created equal? Certainly there is no difference in the material they are made up of but how these chemical molecules are arranged to provide what we call the living human being, they are different. It is the difference between humans that causes the cycle of evolution to begin. If all humans were equal, they should have, responding to same evolutionary challenges, developed equal intelligence, equal physical prowess and all; we know well that they do not.

Blame it on the genes, the statistical roulette of conception, positive and negative reinforcements, God's will or whatever else you may want to, the fact is you are unique, good or bad. To make sure the differences between humans are not exploited out of proportion, one must evaluate the superiority of one individual over another in light of the practical significance of these differences. Given the incessant unfathomable gyrations of the giant machine we call the universe, the limited knowledge we have of it and how helpless we are in affecting any change to it, the differences between humans are really not important. The best of the genes can do no more than the worst of the society.