does economic equality ensure happiness & peace?

Question

what wd happen if a govt took 90% of income permnently off 90% of ppl & gave it to 1%? EVERYBODY knows it wd increase violence 100 times or more - & decrease happiness [peace safety democracy law order friendliness trust community lightness laughter love freedom from corruption war tyranny crime disturbance unrest problems trouble pain hate suffering grief anxiety etc] 100fold
everyone KNOWS no govt will try it, everyone is so clear & certn that it wd be totally bad & stupid
therefore everyone is equally clear & certn that STOPPING such inequality/ injustice/ overpay-underpay/ wealth concentration/ theft, will MULTIPLY peace & happiness 100fold
we have today WORSE payrange than this [after 1000s of yrs of richgetricheretc, money makes money, the automatic drift of wealth from earners to nonearners etc]
therefore everyone knows [as soon as they think thru the simple logic here] that economic equality will multiply peace & happiness 100fold

but ppl cnt thnk tday? [tv? bnwshg?]

Answer 1

Thinking is not always a good thing. Especially for those who lack both the capacity for thought and coherence.

Equal distribution of wealth would not stop the greedy ones from being greedy, the power-mad ones from trying to control everyone or the idiots from trying to tell everyone else what they should believe.

It would be nice if that worked, but it failed in the Soviet Union. In China the philosophy was still preached while the preachers succumbed to capitalism. Politicians are the corrupters regardless of whatever philosophical flags they wave. True compassion is the only way humanity can ever stop inflicting so much pain on humanity.

Answer 2

Nothing will ensure happiness and peace.

Peace: While starving people definitely will cause more violence, your argument doesn't naturally extend beyond that. People commit crimes in order to accumulate more wealth for themselves, not because they hate rich people. Drug dealers will still deal drugs, drugees will still use drugs, crazy people will still kill people and the sex industry will still exploit women.

Happiness: The correlation between wealth and happiness is weak at best. Once you get outside the region of the extremely poor there isn't much correlation. If you really wanted to make the world happier, it seems that "strong religious convicitions" are more correlated to happiness.

Answer 3

This theory simply does not work because people have different perceptions of comfort. Whilst one may be happy to work 5 hours and sit in a shack another would not. Individuals have different needs and wants. Why would anyone be happy to work hard if they knew they would get no benefit for it but that some bludger would.