Equality

Research record

Equality does not mean making all human beings uniform. It is fundamentally equality of moral status: every person possesses equal basic dignity, equal civic respect, and an equal claim to public justification. Modern political philosophy then raises a difficult question: equality of what—rights, opportunities, resources, capabilities, respect, or political influence? Without answering this question, “equality” can become a mere slogan. The talents, interests, body language, family circumstances, and life-plans of the two individuals may differ. Equality does not seek to eliminate these differences. The goal is for differences not to become the basis of dishonor, civility, or subjugation. Equal treatment is sometimes just, sometimes different help is needed because of unequal circumstances. Equality, therefore, is not the loss of one 's goods but the denial of a superior unqualified status without just cause. The law may say that all citizens are equal. This is a necessary achievement, but not sufficient. If access to education, health, land, capital, social interaction and safe public spaces is highly unequal, so too will the exercise of equal rights. For this reason, it is necessary to distinguish between formal equality and real equality of opportunity. Historical inequality does not end with simply saying that we are all equal. In a race, people are free to be tied down from generation to generation and then cut the rope until formal equality is a real justice. The Equal Opportunity ideal states that positions, education, and public opportunities should not be restricted by birthright. However, open competition alone is not enough if the initial conditions are too uneven. Nutrition becomes a precondition for school, language, social security, discrimination and family resource competition. So equality of opportunity demands an institutional precondition. Sharing resources equitably will not always lead to equal outcomes because individuals have different needs. The elderly, the disabled, children or socially disadvantaged individuals need extra support to live independently. The capability view emphasizes that the question should not only be about what one possesses but also what one can actually do and become. Parallel philosophy links this view to the dignity principle. Equality is not only a question of distribution; it is also a question of relation. If a group in a society is expected to touch another 's feet, use separate utensils, stay away from public places, or have a less valued voice in decisions, unequal civic relations can be avoided even with increased economic resources. Equality is therefore also a public rite of passage to those of us who share the same values. A person may work hard, but talent, family, health, birthplace, and historical occasion are not their choices. Accepting the role of effort in success, it is difficult to regard all results as having a purely moral merit. It is also unfair to call failure a character flaw. This argument does not exhaust the respect for achievement. The question is the extent of authority arising from the fruit. Outstanding work may be encouraged, as well as contributing to the original opportunity by acknowledging the debt they owe to society. Justice will decide which inequalities are useful and voluntary, and which are the dominions of arbitrary luck. The difference should be checked against actual data, the impact of incentives, and the minimum of dignity. Equal treatment of people with the same condition Horizontal equality. different help vertical equality according to different needs or abilities. Giving the same medicine to all patients can be both formal and medically inappropriate. Differential treatment can lead to discrimination, depending on the context. The category must be relevant to the actual purpose, to the extent necessary, and reviewable. The language of inborn prejudice should not be returned to as a different necessity. The transparency criterion is of particular importance. Both the beneficiary and the disadvantaged will understand why the distinction was made and how to appeal.

Structured debate

Pūrvapakṣa

Natural Differences Because Inequality is Natural

Uttarapakṣa

Natural differences are not automatic justifications for social subordination. The difference between power, intelligence, wealth, or birth does not destroy one 's equal moral status.

Parallel conclusion

Equality, not uniformity, is the principle of ensuring equal moral status, equal civic dignity, and fair opportunities and real capabilities. The formula for the parallel philosophy: birth is not a moral qualification.

Section index

1. 41.1 Distinctions between equality and uniformity
2. 41.2 Formal and actual equivalences
3. 41.3 Equal opportunities and their limits
4. 41.4 Resources and Capacity and Dignity
5. 41.5 Relational equivalence
6. 41.11 Luck and Hard Work and Moral Qualification
7. 41.12 Horizontal and vertical parallelism
8. 41.13 The result of the representation
9. 41.14 The Preface: Equality Reduces Excellence
10. 41.6 Formal and real equivalences
11. 41.7 The three levels of equal opportunity
12. 41.8 The Equality of Dignity
13. 41.9 Justifications for reservations and countermeasures
14. 41.10 Equality and adequacy

Cite this record

Gajendra Thakur. “Equality.” Videha Digital Research Archive: Mithila–Vajji–Anga. Videha — https://www.videha.co.in/ · ISSN 2229-547X · GitHub mirror: https://videha-ejournal.github.io/videha/ · Digital Research Archives on GitHub: https://github.com/videha-ejournal. https://videha-ejournal.github.io/mithila-vajji-anga/records/idea/philosophy-41/