Description
Book SynopsisThe Equal Society collects fourteen new scholarly essays by established and emerging researchers, addressing political, legal, and ethical aspects of equality, and providing fresh perspectives on topics such as relational equality, epistemic injustice, the capabilities approach, African ethics, gender equality, and philosophy of race.
Trade ReviewThe Equal Society is a timely contribution, written in an engaging way accessible and of interest to lay readers and researchers alike, that makes connections between several different strands in egalitarian thinking, gives voice to African egalitarianism, and generally offers a more applied and broader perspective than the recent relational egalitarian discussions.... If it ends up inspiring others to take a similarly applied and comparative approach to egalitarianism, exploring local real-world issues rather than purely universalist, ideal ones, then egalitarians can continue to be hopeful about the prospects of a more equal society. * The Philosophical Quarterly *
What would be the central characteristics of a society in which its citizens are truly treated as equals?.... The anthology under review sheds light on this question. It offers a fascinatingly rich collection of original essays from a diverse group of scholars, some of whom have been shaping egalitarian discourse for decades. An introduction by George Hull and a helpful index complete a collection that will surely be indispensable for those wishing to take stock of recent developments in egalitarian thought. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
This is a great collection of essays which exemplifies the most recent trends in egalitarian theory. The essays by eminent scholars in the field discuss such important and hotly debated issues as: Should we see equality primarily a distributive ideal or as a matter of what kinds of relations members of society stand in? What should be equal between persons: their resources or their capabilities? And how should we theoretically approach the aim of equality: by outlining a positive, even ideal vision we should aim at? Or wouldn’t it be theoretically more illuminating to begin by analyzing the existing negative social condition, like the distinctive forms of inequality or disadvantage experienced by particular societal groups, and start real-world political philosophy from there? These are all questions of justice everybody should be interested in. -- Stefan Gosepath, Free University Berlin
Table of ContentsIntroduction George Hull PART ONE: THEORETICAL EXPANSIONS AND REVISIONS 1 Social Equality, Relative Poverty and Marginalised Groups Jonathan Wolff 2 Racial Equality Charles W. Mills 3 Epistemic Contribution as a Central Human Capability Miranda Fricker 4 Equality of Intelligibility Daniel Putnam 5 Capability Luck Egalitarianism Bekka Williams 6 From Well-faring to Well-being: Prospects for a Metric of Liberal Egalitarian Justice George Hull 7 Hierarchy and Social Respect: Friends or Enemies? Tom P. S. Angier 8 Equality of Freedom Lucy Allais 9 An African Egalitarianism: Bringing Community to Bear on Equality Thaddeus Metz PART TWO: PUTTING EQUALITY INTO PRACTICE 10 Equality, Liberty and Modern Constitutionalism David Bilchitz 11 Forward-looking Equalization: Can It Subsume Historical Redress Claims? Daryl Glaser 12 What Is Equality in Higher Education? Ann E. Cudd 13 Does the Gendered Division of Labor Undermine Citizenship? Gina Schouten 14 Social Equality and Economic Institutions: Arguing for Workplace Democracy Pierre-Yves Néron About the Contributors
