Equality as the foundation of dignity and a barrier against barbarism

This article provides a profound analysis of the concept of equality, distinguishing its noble form based on dignity from the dangerous egalitarianism of distribution. Drawing on the work of Leszek Kołakowski, the author warns against attempts at a top-down, equal distribution of goods, which inevitably lead to totalitarianism and widespread poverty. The text also examines the sociological aspects of work in the age of flexible capitalism, drawing on the concepts of Richard Sennett and the standards of the International Labor Organization. The reader will find a detailed typology of equality—from formal to material—and an analysis of the role of education as a key mechanism for redressing inequality. The text concludes with a call for strengthening the institutional and spiritual guarantees of social justice, essential for the stable functioning of a modern rule of law and the protection of individuals from systemic barbarism.