The Far Right and Human Inequality

Central to the project of the political right has been a defense of the morality and efficacy of inequality. This has been understood in a wide sense, with right-wing intellectuals defending everything from intrinsic to contributory inequality. This chapter analyzes what distinguishes moderate from far right defenses on inequality. It holds that the main distinction lies in the lack of social mobility in most far right conceptions of society, and their insistence on a narrow set of individuals entitled to constitute a social elite. The chapter then concludes with a discussion of why political thinkers should reject far right conceptions of inequality and defend robust egalitarianism.