English

Adjective

égalitarian ‎(comparative more égalitarian, superlative most égalitarian)

1. Alternative spelling of egalitarian
   • 1940, Cephas Guillet, The Forgotten Gospel (The Clermont Press), page 129

     For many centuries after Europe became Christian we find two main classes, the ruling aristocracy, lay and clerical, and a mass of serfs, — with a small middle class consisting of freeholders and burghers. Whatever had been the primitive condition, medieval society was never égalitarian but always hierarchical; and the Church patterned itself after the State.

   • 1965 April, Paul A. Samuelson, “A Fallacy in the Interpretation of Pareto’s Law of Alleged Constancy of Income Distribution” in The Collected Scientific Papers of Paul A. Samuelson, volume 3 (June 1972, MIT Press, ISBN 026219080X), ed. Robert C. Merton, page 404

     In all places and at all times, the distribution of income remains the same. Neither institutional change nor égalitarian taxation can alter this fundamental constant of the social sciences.

   • 1974, Commonwealth (Royal Commonwealth Society), volumes 18–20, page 8

     Anyone conversant with colonial life and literature will know that a recurring situation was the dilemma of the Englishman (often elitist, intellectual and down on his luck) who went to the colonies to repair his fortunes, was horrified by the égalitarian, ‘barbaric’ attitudes of the new world citizens, and returned home only to find he had become an alien in his own land as well.

   • 1980, The Jerusalem Quarterly (Middle East Institute), issues 14–17, page 19

     Dealing with the great men of history, Jabotinsky clearly follows Carlyle’s theory about the role of great men and sees the will to power as the motive force in history. In a parallel way, another of Jabotinsky’s ideas, that of Pan-basilea (‘Every Man is a King’), also fits into this scheme: its roots are not égalitarian, as sometimes maintained, but aggressive: every man is a king, according to Jabotinsky, because all men partake in this impulse or instinct to power and domination.

   • 1990, J.W. Smurr, Toynbee at Home (Christopher Pub. House), page 276

     In any case, strong central direction was needed in the areas of largest settlement: the Danelaw of eastern Britain, the realm of the Ostmen in eastern Ireland, the ‘Normandy’ of France, the Khāqānate of Russian Khazaria, and so on. But autocratic kingship is not easily accommodated to the égalitarian èthos of barbarian warbands or ship companies, which are associations of comrades; and Abortive Scandinavian Civilization’s greatest political achievement, Iceland, was founded by people who were actively trying to escape it.

   • 2004 April 1, Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, “Refugees in local stakes of North-East Congo (Rémy Bazenguissa)” [résumé] in Exilés, réfugiés, déplacés en Afrique centrale et orientale (KARTHALA Editions; ISBN 2845865252, 9782845865235), ed. André Guichaoua, page 17

     This work describes the oscillating link between a hierarchized scheme (patron/client) and an égalitarian one (« frères ennemis »).

   • 2004 April 30, Greg Felton, Canada’s hate laws have selective application in: “Rodger” (user name), talk.politics.mideast (Usenet newsgroup), “Jews use hate to their advantage”, Message ID: <7648e862.0405012049.7d2d147a@posting.google.com> (2004 May 1, 9:49pm)

     Inasmuch as he intones the requisite égalitarian verities of multicultural rectitude, Cotler cannot hide his bias.

Related terms

• égalitarianism
• inégalitarian