Plato, Luther, Locke & Marx on Equality

Martin Luther is responding to the spreading corruption of institutions, from politics to the Church. Luther's political theory is always subordinate to his religious theory. He most adamantly opposes the system of indulgences which the Church had established as a means of absolving sinners of their sinfulness. However, Luther is generally opposed to the increasing earthliness of the Church and its role as justifier of the corrupt social and political processes of the time. The system of indulgences is merely the most gross manifestation of that worldliness on the part of the Church. What the Church was doing with indulgences, humans in general, including political rulers, were also doing--namely, trying to take the place of God:

They actually think they have the power to do and command their subjects to do, whatever they please. And the subjects are led astray and believe they are bound to obey hem in everything. it has gone so far that the rulers have ordered the people to put away books, and to believe and keep what they prescribe. In this way they presumptuously set themselves in God's place, lord it over men's consci

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urch hierarchy are eliminated by Luther's emphasis on faith as it is given by God and exercised by the individual. If Luther's political theory, with respect to equality, is overwhelmed by his religious concerns, Marx's political theory is utterly earthbound with no room for religion at all. To Marx, the inequalities existing in the world are entirely results of economic relationships. Marx believes that the only way to bring equality into the political system is to dismantle the greedy materialism of the capitalist system which dictates political reality and to replace it with a communist system. The inequalities of political power under capitalist are so profound and entrenched that only a revolution and complete transformation of the entire system will change the situation: "Equality is nothing but . . . political form. Equality as the groundwork of communism is its political justification" (Tucker 99). In Luther's time, the Church dominated politics, and Luther's criticism of political inequality focused on inequalities of power and supposed salvation which flowed from the Church into society. In Marx's time, economics dominated politics, inequalities resulted from economic arrangements, and Marx accordingly attacked politi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
God's Word, Luther Plato, Luther's Church, Marx Marx, Marx Locke, Medieval Era, Church Luther, Church Church, Christ Repent, Holy Spirit, political power, political inequality, social political, political system, political leaders, political theory, private property, martin luther, attacks political leaders, political reality, justification political, luther's political theory, equality political,
Approximate Word count = 1836
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)