It's likely that we will never have an egalitarian society for one simple
reason -- the increasing complexity of our economy.
The intellectual potential of any individual is largely fixed during the
pre-puberty years. His or her social and economic potential is largely
fixed during adolescence and very early adult years.
For six million years of hominin existence this never used to be the case.
All the children of a group, whatever the rank order of their father,
experienced an almost identical environment around them. The massive
culling of neurons and the shaping of mental networks that takes place in
the rear cortex (perceptual and activity skills) would have been very
similar. Today it's different. Because of totally different home
environments there's an average gap of at least three or four years in the
educability of children at puberty between those in private schools and
those in state schools.
During adolescence, when millions of new neurons are grown in the frontal
cortex (social and future-planning skills) and new mental networks are
created, life-long social associations are created and the previous skills
gained by the rear cortex are developed and refined for adult use. By the
age of about 30 this is mostly over. The creativity of new ideas, career
specialization and social ranking (relative to the masses, but not yet
within the elite) is largely fixed.
Ever since we left hunter-gathering behind and became civilized we have
become -- largely -- a two class society. In agricultural times the elite
class was very small indeed. In modern industrial (post-industrial?) times
the elite class is much larger -- about 25% I would estimate. This elite
class ranges from the very rich down to the specialized professionals
(increasingly that of scientists). Although very varied in composition, the
elite class is cohesive and socially interactive because they all send
their children to the same thin stream of private schools and the latter in
turn tend to go to elite universities. Friendships and social "debts" made
there tend to last for life.
The Jesuits knew all about this. "Give us a child for seven years and he
will be ours for life." Count von Bismark knew all about this when he was
the first to institute free state schooling in Prussia for every child of
poor parents in order to produce a conditioned population who would
willingly follow him into warfare. England and other countries of Europe
soon followed.
So there we are. Unless nation-states can release education to the choice
of parents and quality competition between schools -- as applies to most
consumer goods and services -- then the present socio-economic gap in
Western countries will only widen further in the coming years as jobs
become even more complex. It seems unlikely, but one or two advanced
nations are making feeble attempts and there are a few reformers such as
Peter Lampl in this country, so I could be wrong.
But, otherwise, two distinct breeds of men seem certain in the foreseeable
future. And then, given that biologists are already adding to our genetic
knowledge at a rate never known in science before, it might only take one
or two genetic tricks . . . .?
Keith
Keith Hudson, Saltford, England
<http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2010/12/>http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2010/12/
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