Lexington Books The Equal Society: Essays on Equality in Theory and Practice

Equality is a widely championed social ideal. But what is equality? And what action is required if present-day societies are to root out their inequalities? The Equal Society collects fourteen philosophical essays, each with a fresh perspective on these questions. The authors explore the demands of egalitarian justice, addressing issues of distribution and rectification, but equally investigating what it means for people to be equals as producers and communicators of knowledge or as members of subcultures, and considering what it would take for a society to achieve gender and racial equality. The essays collected here address not just the theory but also the practice of equality, arguing for concrete changes in institutions such as higher education, the business corporation and national constitutions, to bring about a more equal society. The Equal Society offers original approaches to themes prominent in current social and political philosophy, including relational equality, epistemic injustice, the capabilities approach, African ethics, gender equality and the philosophy of race. It includes new work by respected social and political philosophers. Review The 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 About the Author George Hull is lecturer in philosophy at the University of Cape Town.