The Equal Society

Essays on Equality in Theory and Practice

Edited by George Hull - Contributions by Jonathan Wolff, University College London, UK; Charles Mills; Miranda Fricker; Daniel Putnam; Bekka Williams; George Hull; Tom Angier; Lucy Allais; Thaddeus Metz; David Bilchitz; Daryl Glaser; Ann E. Cudd; Gina Schouten and Pierre-Yves Néron

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.

Lexington Books

Pages: 362 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4985-1571-9 • Hardback • December 2015 • $136.00 • (£105.00)

978-1-4985-1573-3 • Paperback • July 2017 • $57.99 • (£45.00)

978-1-4985-1572-6 • eBook • December 2015 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Philosophy / Political, Philosophy / Social, Political Science / Human Rights

The Equal Society

Essays on Equality in Theory and Practice

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

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.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 362 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4985-1571-9 • Hardback • December 2015 • $136.00 • (£105.00)

978-1-4985-1573-3 • Paperback • July 2017 • $57.99 • (£45.00)

978-1-4985-1572-6 • eBook • December 2015 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Philosophy / Political, Philosophy / Social, Political Science / Human Rights

Author

George Hull is lecturer in philosophy at the University of Cape Town.

Table of Contents

Introduction
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

Reviews

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