Inequality from the perspective of cognitive science
Inequality from the perspective of cognitive science

Summary/Abstract: Social inequality incorporates those differences which are emphaticaly experienced and morally valued by the members of a community. This is true of differences which are perceived as strategic by them. Moral ranking is needed to translate biological differences of a gregarious nature into inequality of a social kind. But once cultural contents in the mind are established, it functions as an emergent, contributing on its own to various social extensions (for example profession or residential status). A significant difference exists between the two ideal-type forms of inequality. Inequalities embedded in biology are more likely to be evaluated as self-evident and non-problematic, as they represent an integral part of our experiencing of ourselves. We experience our gender and age (that is sensate, feel and think it) directly, and as a result tend to take it for granted. It is an altogether different matter when it comes to inequalities of a predominantly sociocultural kind. These are more likely to be perceived as arbitrary and as a result subject to constant contention.

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