EQUALITY
ETHICAL CONCEPTS OF EQUALITY
‘All people should be treated equally’ is a claim that may not be either true or desirable.
There is conflict over what this claim means; does treating all people equally mean that all
people should have the same amount of money? And would this even provide true equality
for those who need more money to care for their basic needs? Even if all the wealth in the
world could be divided equally between persons, known as simple equality, it may not
provide a solution to inequality.
Perhaps equality is impossible, and people should accept that inequality is just part of the
natural order of things. Quickly, the argument against equality can descend into an
argument for fascism.
1. Simple Equality: Everyone has the same amount of goods.
2. Equality of Need: Goods should be distributed from each according to his ability to
each according to his need. Equality is best achieved by satisfying people’s needs,
derived by Marx.
3. Equality of Desert: Goods should be distributed to the extent that people deserve
them. Those who do the most deserve the most resources.
A related notion is that of equal opportunities, which holds that no matter the individual’s
background, gender or race, they should be able to pursue whatever course of action best
fits their abilities. Equal opportunities are legally enshrined in the United Kingdom. Ideally,
all should have equal access to jobs, education and positions of institutional power, ensuring
that there is a level playing field where each person is equally capable of reaping their
deserved rewards.
RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS OF EQUALITY
Religion has a troubled relationship with equality. On the one hand, scriptures such as the
Bible and the Qur’an stress equality as being essential to the faith:
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ – Galatians 3:28
Religious notions have often been rejected by thinkers and movements which seek greater
equality. Historically, both the US and the UK have been dominated by the ethics of
Christianity, yet the societies of both have been riven by inequality. Conservative Christians
in the US continue to oppose the basic tenets of secular feminism; hence it can be argued
that religious perspectives are neither valuable nor appropriate in debates about equality.
Gender Equality
Some biblical verses emphasise that men and women are all equal in God’s eyes.
Others, however, suggest that men and women have distinct, God-given roles. In
ETHICAL CONCEPTS OF EQUALITY
‘All people should be treated equally’ is a claim that may not be either true or desirable.
There is conflict over what this claim means; does treating all people equally mean that all
people should have the same amount of money? And would this even provide true equality
for those who need more money to care for their basic needs? Even if all the wealth in the
world could be divided equally between persons, known as simple equality, it may not
provide a solution to inequality.
Perhaps equality is impossible, and people should accept that inequality is just part of the
natural order of things. Quickly, the argument against equality can descend into an
argument for fascism.
1. Simple Equality: Everyone has the same amount of goods.
2. Equality of Need: Goods should be distributed from each according to his ability to
each according to his need. Equality is best achieved by satisfying people’s needs,
derived by Marx.
3. Equality of Desert: Goods should be distributed to the extent that people deserve
them. Those who do the most deserve the most resources.
A related notion is that of equal opportunities, which holds that no matter the individual’s
background, gender or race, they should be able to pursue whatever course of action best
fits their abilities. Equal opportunities are legally enshrined in the United Kingdom. Ideally,
all should have equal access to jobs, education and positions of institutional power, ensuring
that there is a level playing field where each person is equally capable of reaping their
deserved rewards.
RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS OF EQUALITY
Religion has a troubled relationship with equality. On the one hand, scriptures such as the
Bible and the Qur’an stress equality as being essential to the faith:
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ – Galatians 3:28
Religious notions have often been rejected by thinkers and movements which seek greater
equality. Historically, both the US and the UK have been dominated by the ethics of
Christianity, yet the societies of both have been riven by inequality. Conservative Christians
in the US continue to oppose the basic tenets of secular feminism; hence it can be argued
that religious perspectives are neither valuable nor appropriate in debates about equality.
Gender Equality
Some biblical verses emphasise that men and women are all equal in God’s eyes.
Others, however, suggest that men and women have distinct, God-given roles. In
