JOHN O'LOUGHLIN,
Sir, - Mary Robinson's call for "gender balance" in the awarding of honorary degrees is understandable, given her ideological background (The Irish Times, January 21st). If, however, the idea is extended to the rest of human activity, I believe the results would be catastrophic. Imagine the difficulty of re-educating the tens of thousands of female teachers, nurses and bank officials to take their legitimate places in the fields, the building sites, the garages of the nation. Such an idea is obviously silly.
The egalitarian ideal is flawed. In the words of Karl Popper (Unended Quest): "Freedom is more important than equality. . . the attempt to realise equality endangers freedom; and if freedom is lost, there will not even be equality among the unfree." - Yours, etc.,
JOHN O'LOUGHLIN,
Brannockstown,
Co Kildare.