Financial markets are various individuals engaged in the buying and selling of financial assets. Most of the time, the actions of market participants are driven by popular ideas. If the decisions taken by the market participants are based on a theory which is detached from reality, then the direction of the market is likely to follow the theory. Conversely, if the market participants were to follow a theory that corresponds to reality, then the market is most likely going to reflect this.

Supporters of the “National Conservative” (or “NatCon”) movement that has taken over the Republican Party have lately been accusing libertarians of letting their “market fundamentalism” get in the way of politicians taking practical steps to save American society from its problems.

The non-discrimination principle states that no one should be subjected to detriment on the basis of race, sex, or other protected grounds. To most people, that simply means formal equality—treat everyone the same as required by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. But what does treating everyone the same mean in practice, and what is the legal test for resolving complaints about unequal treatment?