The Quest for Equality

     Many people worry about inequality.  They claim some
control far more wealth than others.  Supposedly those who
control more wealth are better off.  The next step in this
reasoning is that it is unfair that some are better off than others. 
The final step in the chain of thought is that someone must
intervene with force to end the inequality.

     Before we can even consider equality we must find a way
to measure it.  The knee jerk way to measure equality of wealth
is to compare the market values of what each person owns.  It
may come as a surprise to some that market value doesn't
measure what things are worth to those who use them.

     The one thing we all seek is to increase our satisfaction. 
      We value each thing based on how much we expect it will
contribute to our satisfaction.  We always value our things more
than what we pay for them.

     Bob trades a loaf of bread to Egbert for a dozen eggs. 
The loaf of bread is the exchange price Bob pays.  Bob wouldn't
have traded unless he believed that his use value of the eggs was
greater than his use value of the bread.  Likewise Egbert
believed that to him the bread had a greater use value than the
eggs.

     In neither case do we have any way of knowing how
much the use value exceeded the exchange value.  If necessary,
perhaps Egbert would have given three dozen eggs for the bread.
Or, perhaps he wouldn't have given even one more egg.
     All we know for sure is each individual believes the use
value of the things he keeps is greater than their exchange value. 
If the exchange value was greater, he would sell.

     An individual may own something that has a very small
exchange value.  Yet, he refuses to sell it for a very high price. 
All this means is that the individual places a larger use value on
something others value far less.  If the owner refuses to sell a
trinket for a million dollars, he expects the trinket to bring him
more satisfaction than he could buy with a million dollars.  To
him the trinket is worth more than a million dollars.

     There is no way to measure the use value.  The most we
can do is observe that an individual places a greater use value on
one thing than another.

     We have no way of measuring and comparing the use
value on one person's wealth to another's.  Thus, there is no way
to measure wealth and declare that one person has more wealth
than another.  Considering that the most satisfied person has the
most of what he really wants, the most satisfied person is the
wealthiest person.  There is no way to measure and compare
satisfaction.  It is futile to pursue equality of wealth when we
can't even recognize it if we see it.

     There are other important points ignored in the pursuit of
equal wealth.  Individuals gain satisfaction from wealth they
don't own.  That satisfaction is just as real as satisfaction gained
from their own wealth.

     Who hasn't enjoyed the sight of flowers, Christmas lights,
or great architecture, etc., none of which they owned?  The
owners of these things either deliberately, or incidentally, use
their wealth to provide satisfaction to others.  This satisfaction is
a benefit to those who enjoy it.  It doesn't add one cent to their
measurable wealth.  Measurement of wealth will tell us that the
so called poor and the so called rich are still as unequal as ever.

     One thing is certain.  If the owners who incidentally
provided satisfaction to others were deprived of their wealth, the
others would be deprived of satisfaction.  Those others might
even be deprived of more satisfaction than were the owners who
lost their property.

     Next time we will consider whether the rich giving to the
poor helps or harms the poor.

aldmccallum@gmail.com
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Copyright 2013
Albert D. McCallum