Free market and equality. Can free market economy be fair?

(*some ideas are taken from Michael Novak work.)

Equality. Some people raise the topic of equality in public discussion, some think
about equality in their thoughts. Nevertheless, the issue of equality in the 21st century is an
acute one, especially in free market economy countries. As Michael Novak marked in his
work, the different meanings of world equality is a really a dreadful change, where in English
"equality" means equity or fairness, in French - means "equals sign", arithmetical uniformity.
It is dreadful because where people take equality very seriously, they soon insist on
uniformity. I think, that nowadays, the acute question about equality is an acute one, because
of the misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “equality”.

People imply that the state/government, as the agency with power, must distribute
“inequality” to each person, meaning that everyone should have “same portions”. As a very
exaggerated example: if I have not money to buy a car, but my neighbor and friend, and also
other strangers has a car, then the government must distribute this “inequality”, by providing
to me a car, in order to make my “same portion” equal. In this regard, Michael pointed very
interesting juxtaposition, which I really liked and agree with: “If you are going to make
everybody equal, you really have to make uniform crucial items of daily” and as example
presented utopian work, where people of certain social class - wear clothes of certain color,
presenting their social class, there was also regimented hours for everything what is need to
be done during the day, even hours for lovemaking. In this understanding of equality, as
understood by today's society (same portion) , the world should become just that, where all
has “same portion” in order to equal.

However, I think that today’s society, do not want to be equal like in the world of
utopia. But still, society continues to think in that way of “uniformity”. By this, free market
economy society transfers responsibility for the “equality” what they need - to the state, for
example demanding all kinds of social programs/benefits. Social programs and benefits are
not bad, however in central europe countries, for example England, people who are
economically active and can work – prefer to do not go to work, they don't want to earn
money by themselves, they just live on social benefits money, which are allocated by the
state. Of course this group of people is not such a large percentage. There also exist other
group of people, who want to “gain” equality by themselves, but through corruption or illegal
means, for example, because they consider, that free market economy is unfair and it do not
distribute “equality” equally, but in fact they make unfair market themselves.

I think, that free market economy provides all oppurtunities to “gain” equality. The
key note, consist of principle, that equality in free market economy can be different for each
person and it is proportional to efforts of each people. The beautiful example on this is already
introduced by Michael Novak in his work. In times, when Europe societies shifted from
agrarian society to crowded commercial cities, where start to appear craftmens with their own
workshops, painters...people who gain wage by from their skills, started to appear factories,

 all this people worked no more than 8 hours, while farmers worket from sunup till sunset.
Farmers, attack these people, because said that “buy cheap and sell dear” is unfair, affirm that
commercial system is inequal. But nothing unfair there not exist, because it was depended on
who what preffered and can make, in order to gain wage. So the main idea,what I want to
point, is that equality of each depends on what he/she is doing, so proportionality to efforts of
each people.

Of course free market economy is not so free, as it is affected by legislation, taxation

and other instruments implied by the state, as also shadow bureaucracy and corruption, as
anyway the state and government agencies are involved in free market economy, so such
concepts have a place to be.

In order to develop responsible free market economy, what will contributes to fair
market economy, consist of idea, that people must understand that the labour without
unlawful or shadow instruments, will achieve economic and social justice. The labour is
different, nevertheless, for each job certain skills are needed. That’s why the government
involvement should also be. For example, social benefits on education or “starting business”
benefits from state. So, what I want to convey in this paragprah, is that even if society will
understands the principle “equality proportioned to efforts of each people.”, the state should
not prevent this effort to work fairly, to receive “equality” what person is able to “gain” by
their own skills (e.g. harmonised legal system, where labour and bussineses are welcomed),
on the contrary, the state should promote this oppurtunities to “gain” equality , as also state
should not exercise arbitrary power and authority power (no corruption, bureaucracy). I think,
that nowadays, there are not such strict rules on bureaucracy and corruption, because if they
will be, bounded by laws, will be not only people/citizens, but also state representatives. I
mean, of course nowadays there are rules but each and society and state representatives want
to gain something, not by their effort.

So answering to the question how develop responsible free market economy, I think it must
be answered, that each human being (citizens and state people) must understand the meaning
of word “equality” , what means that each of us “gains” such equality which it kind of
“earned” by working, and must understand that the labour is only one way how to achieve
economy and social justice. In order to do this it is also important to believe in yourself, that
each human being is unique and has a different skills in order to work. If human beings will
believe in themselves, the society will be, the state will be fair, as outcome free market
economy will be fair, because if human beings will knows that they can earn all what they
need by themselves, they will not be in the need to resort to illegal and shadow methods
(applies both, to citizens and to government officials) what in turn affects the free market
economy and makes it unfair.

This idea doesn’t sounds very effective, nevertheless I believe that even if one person realizes
this, especially in government, the issue of equality will not be so acute in free market
economy countries, because each of us makes society and we - all human beings - together
can influence on equality of each other in positive terms, by cooperating together and working

on fairness and in good faith, to “gain” our own “equality” proportional to the our efforts and
skills, without any unfair preventions from state and surrounding us people.