Ideals of Equality

What is equality and is it a genuine political ideal? The contributors to this collection address this question in a variety of different ways. In the course of doing so a number of distinctions emerge between different notions of equality, including equality of condition, equality of opportunity and equality of status, and between equality of these kinds and the related idea of giving priority to the worst off. The contributors clarify these notions, and tackle the issue of which (if any) are genuine political ideals which the state may legitimately enforce or promote.

1. Equality and Priority: Derek Parfit (All Souls College, Oxford). 2. Equality and Justice: David Miller (Nuffield College, Oxford). 3. The Social Basis of Equality: Richard Norman (University of Kent). 4. Equality of Opportunity: Janet Radcliffe Richards (The Open University). 5. Egalitarianism; Partial, Counterproductive, and Baseless: Jan Narveson (University of Waterloo). 6. Choice and Circumstance: Hillel Steiner (University of Manchester).