In general terms, equality means an equal opportunity for all people without discriminating among people on the grounds of sex, caste, religion, language, region, etc. Indian Constitution also enshrined equality guaranteed through Article 14 to Article 18. Equality is viewed differently by different thinkers and political scientists, while some see equality as the principle of absolute and unconditional equality, as all men share similar traits and features. Some emphasized the fact that ‘all men are created equal’.
Also Read: Rights – Different Theories of Rights
Democracy – Different Forms of Democracy
Equality and Inequality
Equality can be understood in terms of inequality because equality rejects any inequality. In the words of Harold Laski, equality means the absence of privilege, the availability of equal opportunity, all having access to social benefits without any restrictions, and the absence of economic and social exploitation. But this meaning of equality is not right as treating all men equally is not possible as they have different capacities and qualities.
Moreover, people are found in different social conditions and settings and hence, different treatment is required to level up these natural differences in the human being. This can be understood by different examples like a meritorious student should not be discriminated against on the grounds of the economic status of his parents. Thus, adequate opportunities imply all shall have conditions necessary for the development of their respective personality.
Dimension of Equality
Various dimensions are associated with equality such as political, legal, economic, and social equality. Equality before law or civil liberty is the fundamental condition of freedom and without this, nobody can be free. The political equality can only be guaranteed in democracy because democracy is the only type of government where a citizen has the freedom to vote and take part in the political process. With economic equality, a citizen would enjoy freedom or other liberty, and thus laws and taxes are necessary for general freedom.
Relation of Equality with Justice and Liberty
Liberty and equality are intrinsically related to each other, for example, suppose one wants to take part in the political process, however, if he has no freedom of speech and expression, it would be useless even if he is granted civil liberty. Similarly, in the absence of civil equality, freedom of expression and speech would not be of much significance.
While Justice stands for ‘to bind, to tie together’, justice is meant by an ‘a bound or tie’. Thus, justice binds people together in the right order of relationship. Justice is a balancing act between various principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity and this can be done to achieve some universal values like happiness, freedom from pain, fairness, etc. John Rawls also maintained that justice is the first virtue of a society, and it should always take priority over other good. It is nothing but welfarism in another sense.
Rawls also commented that ‘If law and government act effectively to keep the market competitive, resources fully employed, property and wealth widely distributed over time and to maintain the appropriate social minimum, then if there is equality of opportunity underwritten by education to all, the resulting distribution will be just’.
The world has been moving towards equality and justice. The citizenship, democracy, welfare state, and modern ideas of rights all manifest this move toward equality
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