Specifically, he thought that it would be rational to accept two fundamental principles: those of Freedom and Equality. Rawls thought that in our currently prior state (which he called the Original Position), where where we have to collectively decide in advance from behind a ‘veil of ignorance’ on the rules that will govern our new world, that we would be rationally attracted to choosing ones that could improve our situation if we ended up disadvantaged in some way. For example, we don’t know if we will be rich, poor, able-bodied, good looking, male, female, intelligent, unintelligent, talented or unskilled, and we won’t know which ethnic group we will belong to or what our sexual proclivities might be. He asks us to imagine that we are to become a member of a new society but presently know nothing about who we will be in that society. Rawls is renowned for an influential thought experiment that he described in the above publication. Overall, Frankfurt contends that discussions about equality should therefore focus more on people having enough and being treated with respect by others (what Kant refers to as people being regarded as ‘ends in themselves’). Secondly, Frankfurt observes that when people are on the receiving end of unfair racist, sexist, homophobic or other types of discrimination that this is more to do with lack of respect than a sense that we are not being treated equally.
So we should concentrate on ensuring that the poorest people have enough to live on rather than aiming for some sort of economic equality for its own sake. Frankfurt notes that we tend to be more upset when we hear about poorer people being treated badly than we do by the simple fact that some people earn more than others (though we do get annoyed when we think that some people get paid far too much for the work they do). This is because he thinks that discussions about equality always relate to something more basic than the idea itself.įor example, he argues that discussions about economic equality are more fundamentally to do with everyone having enough.
The philosopher Harry Frankfurt has challenged the view that Equality is a meaningful, bedrock ethical concept. To refine and add nuance to these notions, it can be helpful to explore some secular ethical perspectives on equality that have been offered by philosophers. Along the way, an emphasis might be placed on ‘Equality of Need’ (everyone getting what they require) or ‘Equality of Desert’ (where some receive more because of the contribution they make to the society of which they are a member). Notes on this can be found HERE.Ĭonceptually, equality can – in a rather simplistic sense – be about everyone in society getting treated equally by others, receiving the same amount of goods and resources, or being able to pursue the same opportunities. IF STUDENTS WISH TO EXPLORE MORE THAN ONE RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE ON EQUALITY, THE NOI IS RECOMMENDED AS A CONTRAST TO THAT OFFERED BY MARTIN LUTHER KING.Īdditionally, when it comes to both Martin Luther King’s contribution to campaigns for equality and the value of employing religious perspectives in debates, Christopher Hitchens’ critique of the role of religion in the American Civil Rights Movement and John Holroyd’s response to that critique are also of relevance. THE SECTION ON BLACK THEOLOGY ALSO INCLUDES A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE HISTORY AND BELIEFS OF THE NATION OF ISLAM. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING ETHICS BUT NOT 4B CHRISTIANITY READ THIS MATERIAL AS THESE NOTES COVER BLACK AND FEMINIST THEOLOGY IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL.
See HERE for the course notes on this topic (some of the content is repeated below). Liberation Theology also relates to the concept of economic equality as supporters of this movement have typically adopted a stance that is critical of capitalism. NOTE: There is considerable overlap with the 4B Christianity topic New Movements in Theology because of the emphasis on Feminist and Black Theology. With reference to the ideas of Martin Luther King and Joni Eareckson Tada. From the Paper 2 syllabus on Religion and Ethics:Ī) Ethical and religious concepts of equality, including the issues of gender or race or disability and the work of one significant figure in campaigns for equality in the chosen area, significant events in the progress of equality in these areas, perspectives on equality from at least one religion and one secular ethical perspective.ī) Strengths and weaknesses of significant areas of disagreement and debate, assessment of relevant examples, legal changes and social attitudes, appropriateness and value of employing religious perspectives into these debates.
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