Equality
Equality in political thought is the claim that people are in some fundamental respect equals of one another, and that political arrangements should reflect this. The disputes are all about which respect: equality before the law, equality of political voice, equality of opportunity, or equality of resources and outcomes. Almost every position accepts some of these and rejects others, so the useful question is never whether someone is in favour of equality but which equality, measured how, and at what cost to other things they value.
Why it matters
Naming the specific equality at stake turns an unwinnable slogan into an argument that can actually be examined.
Also written: egalitarianism, equality of opportunity
Where it comes up
Read about Equality on Wikipedia
Sources
- Equality Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Distributive Justice Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophySets out the competing answers to the question of what exactly should be equalised.
- Social equality Wikipedia
