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I agree that there is no bright line here. Nor are there bright lines in many other areas of life where inequality rears its head. Is it fair that I can straig
by harryh 10y ago
I agree that there is no bright line here. Nor are there bright lines in many other areas of life where inequality rears its head.
Is it fair that I can straightforwardly buy myself a better life than is available to others without means?
Is this more or less unfair than than what I can buy for my child? If anything I would say that the personal luxuries I buy for myself are more unfair than the educational opportunities I can buy for my kid. At least the latter is in pursuit of human capital formation and not just luxury spending.
- tptacek 10y agoI think there's a moral difference between what you do with the product of your achievements for yourself and what you do to impact the opportunity of the next generation. Which is essentially just a long way of saying that the moral weights on inequality and mobility/opportunity aren't the same.
- harryh 10y agoI dunno. I hear what you are saying and I agree that lack of opportunity is a problem. I just have a hard time convincing myself that making sure my kid goes to a good school and gets a good education is morally fraught. Tough subject for sure.
- tptacek 10y agoLike I said: I made sure my kids went to a decent school too (I drew the line at private school, but, like I said, my kids go to what is essential a de facto private school based on the neighborhood they live in). I'm not prepared to crucify people for making these kinds of moral compromises, but I think it's important not to go the other direction and valorize them.