Lesson 4 Egalitarianism: Background Inequalities and Differential Treatment Important Notes

 Lesson 4 Egalitarianism: Background Inequalities and Differential Treatment

Equality is most commonly used term in modern era. The concept of equality can be tracked from political thought since Greek philosophy. During Greek era it has been used by Aristotle in terms of cause of revolution in many states. He said that the absence of balanced equality, of a fair deal, leads to lack of justice and splits the city into fractions.

The term equality can be widely understood to entail civil, political, and social rights. The American and French Revolutions, equality was moved to the foreground of political ideals, becoming a realistic aspiration attached to the promise of democracy. This term have many identical terms like similar, identical and equivalent. The term has many aspects and it cannot be explained in a single sentence.

The liberal thinker’s main concern was moral equality which implied the right of each man to be treated as an end and not a means. They carried to achieve the equality through the rule of law or written constitution. In contemporary era, the term equality represents the theory of rights. It postulates that man as rational being. The physical, emotional and intellectual needs of all the men are similar and hence they are entitled to equal rights. Equality as a principle correcting the unjust inequalities in society is a modern idea.

Legal Equality

The term equality has many dimensions. Especially in a democratic country the concept has gained many entrances in many fields. There was a period when the concept interpreted with a narrow sense but in contemporary era it has wide range of horizons. In the modern world, the concept of equality can be understood with different ways as it has been mentioned by the Lord Bryce that there are four types namely, political, economic, social and legal. According to Earnest Barker, it has two forms legal and social whereas according to Laski political and economic equality.

The legal equality does not merely mean equal laws but also the opportunities to get justice from the courts. In modern world, man needs both the time and money to have justice which the poor cannot afford. In this term legal quality is fictitious in a society where the people are not able to pay the cost of legal system. In this term Earnest Barker has used the term ‘equality of legal personality’ to explain the legal dimension of equality.

The legal equality represents the moral considerations and serves as the basis of equal rights of man. Earnest Barker has mentioned in his book Principles of Social and Political Theory, that the principle of right to equality have also same measures. It can be granted to others in The legal equality represents the moral considerations and serves as the basis of equal rights of man. Earnest Barker has mentioned in his book Principles of Social and Political Theory, that the principle of right to equality have also same measures. It can be granted to others in

 

Political Equality

The issue of political equality has been raised during the 19th century by the John Locke to J S Mill philosophy ‘natural rights and freedom of expression’ equal rights to vote or adult franchise. According to political equality every citizen should have the equal right—right to vote, equal rights to public services, right to contest election and no difference should be made on the ground of race, colour, class, caste, sex, religion and language. Empirically political equality centred around the universal suffrage and representative government.

Harold J Laski feels that political equality can never be real unless it is supported by fundamental economic equality. There were other persons too who have raised the issue like Mosca, Pareto and Michel’s according to them every ordinary citizen have votes, have no real access to political power because the political results in the usurpation of power by governing elite which is oligarchical in nature.

The men of property have control over legislature, executive and the mass media. Moreover, in contemporary world government is very complex and real powers in the hands of bureaucrats over which people don’t have virtual control over them.

 

Social Equality

The term equality can also be equating with the citizens equality to access and opportunity for the individual need and requirement irrespective of race, caste, religion, sex, race, language, and ethnicity. There are other forms of distinction too in the society in terms of occupation, profession and law superiority or inferiority. As it has been mentioned by the Jacobin men during 1789 as a ‘equality before the law’ which means eliminating and feudal obligation and societal hierarchy.

The issue of equality was raised during American and French revolution. These revolutions have raised the slogans of equal between sexes, equal voting rights. In contemporary world women have raised movements like ‘Women’s Liberation’ to fight against subtle forms of inequality in society. Different thinkers like Mary Wollstonecraft have mentioned in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman equality to both the sexes. While the time of discussing that she has stressed on the role of education in which she has mentioned mixed sex schools. She has argued that for the women’s dignity and respect it is essential that they have to be given the equal treatment in terms of basic rights and provide the access to earn and live their life on the basis of self-support.

The issue of social equality is linked with the principle of equality of opportunity. It is very important to create favourable equitable atmosphere in terms of equal opportunity to all. No one will deprive from any public places—temple, church, school, atmosphere etc. Likewise access to the public wells, cinemas, etc.

Economic Equality

Socialist theorist foundation based on economic equality. As it has been mentioned by the Laski in his book Grammar of Politics ‘Political equality is never real unless it is accompanied by the economic equality’. It means wealth provides all kinds of opportunities to those who have it and the poor are forced to suffer from serious disadvantages. A very poor or starving man, having no economic opportunities, has no absolute political and social equality.

In the initial phase, economic equality considered as equality of choosing one’s own trade and profession. It is also considered as all the persons are free to choose the work and profession without any restriction and barrier. Economic equality is also taken as a freedom of agreement and equal income to the citizens. All these understandings of equality are insufficient.

Economic equality represents physical and mental needs satisfactions to all the citizens. It doesn’t mean that one rich person or economically strong person may purchase another person.

The accumulation of private property in the few hands increases inequality as it has been witnessed during the industrial revolution. This issue has been mentioned by the Marx, Engels that due to inequal and discriminatory system the workers had done the revolt to overcome from inequality and discrimination. W Friedman mentioned in his book Law in the Changing Society that “Taxation is one of the most important weapon by which state can mitigate the two objectionable aspects of unrestricted private property: first, the inequalities of wealth and secondly, the power to use property for private profit and with regard to community purpose”.

 

Debate: Affirmative Action

According to International Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences “affirmative action refers to policy measures designed to reduce the marginalization of groups that have historically suffered from discrimination, exclusion, or worse, and that are underrepresented in a society’s desirable positions. The measures may take the form of public laws, administrative regulations, and court orders, or of practices by private businesses and non-profit institutions”.

It is to be noticed that we do not say that all men are equal in terms of physical, mental capacities, beauty and talents. Men are differing in their skin but they are similar in colour of blood hence they should be treated equally.

The idea of equality does not represent that all the material in terms of goods and entire national income or the educational opportunities available in the society should be distributed on the principle of equal distribution. What is means that men who are different from one another in their physical and mental capacities aptitudes, skill, talent and energies should be given equal opportunities for the development of their personal qualities and capacities.

Affirmative Action is a kind of policy that is designed to benefit the individuals those are discriminated, underrepresented identity groups. According to the policy such individuals should be treated and provided more favourable access, extra advantages in terms of employment, jobs, promotions, or admissions to educational institutions, but sometimes resources such as financial help in terms of loans and contracts, monetary support, or land rights.

The concept of Affirmative action evolved in United States of America after the civil rights movement to end the long history of injustices and to establish the equality and overcome from the model of discrimination-racism and gender. America’s President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order that has mentioned 'take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed without regard to their race, creed, colour or national origin’. By the late 1960s, the nature and the expansion of policy spread across the many government agencies and private institutions too.

Apart from the USA, affirmative action policy has been implemented in many countries across the world like India, South Africa, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. India was one of the first such countries to level affirmative action policy with the different name called ‘reservation’. Reservation stands for since they involved quotas of reserved seats. Some deprived sections like blacks, lower caste (in India) and women were deprived due to inadequate opportunities of their development in the past, with the help of reservation.

India has witnessed social and civil rights movement on the issue to caste system in India. In the early 20th century most of the popular movements were against the hierarchical nature of Indian caste system ‘Brahmins’. During the British colonial rule, they have reserved some seats for non-Brahmins in some public services and educational institutions. After the independence, the Indian constitution have also mentioned the explicit provision for affirmative action in the form of reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state and union territory assemblies, as well as in government sector jobs and public institutions education.

Affirmative action policies are highly controversial as it has been mentioned by John Michael Eden and John Paul Ryan and many others that most point of time it has generated heated debate on the question reverse discrimination, inequality on the principle of providing equality. The policies as a kind of reverse discrimination represents that the principle to establish equal rights for all the individuals. It can be expressed and observed very clearly.

In this light of this, it is very clear that affirmative action does not compensate those individuals most disadvantaged by past injustices, nor does it redistribute effectively from rich to poor. The policy is been questioned at the front of that it is trying to establish literal equality by affirmative action or reservation would be tragic because it would erode the respect of excellence and ability which is the base of social, moral and intellectual development.

The idea of equality is the defining feature of modern era. The modern battle of equality is different views about where and how equality should be applied. Especially in the light of establish the democratic model and system. The philosophical principle of formal equality, as long as political and legal principle, are widely accepted especially in the liberal democratic societies. The genuine legal and political equality demands people should have access to equal social resources.

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