egalitarianism

egalitarianism, the belief in human equality, especially political, social, and economic equality. Egalitarianism has been a driving principle of many modern social movements, including the Enlightenment, feminism, civil rights efforts, and the establishment of international human rights. Given that there are many ways in which people can relate as equals or be treated the same, egalitarianism as a concept is versatile and sometimes contentious.

Historical development

Egalitarianism is often contrasted with hierarchy, the classification of people according to ability, economic power, social status, or other factors. While early human societies were often quite egalitarian, some scholars have proposed that the advent of agriculture and the consequent accumulation of wealth may have encouraged the development of hierarchical societies.

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Modern, albeit often patriarchal, notions of egalitarianism have sometimes been inspired by religious, particularly Christian, notions of human equality in the eyes of God or other deities. Egalitarian ideals were also a significant feature of the Enlightenment movement, which emphasized the common humanity of all members of society. Both these schools of thought have focused on one of the most fundamental propositions of egalitarianism, which is that all people are of equal moral worth. Many egalitarian movements go beyond this basic proposition, though. The modern-day notion of human rights, for example, supposes not only that all humans are of equal moral value but also that they have certain universal rights that can be equally claimed by all humans. These rights often include equality of treatment under the law, regardless of differences in race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, or ability.

One important divide within egalitarian thought is the question of whether equality is desirable in itself or rather as a means to an end. Noninstrumental egalitarians argue that there is inherent value to equality. Instrumental egalitarians argue that equality is desirable because it promotes some other good, such as human welfare. For example, they may believe redistributing wealth is desirable because alleviating poverty is a moral imperative. Finally, some egalitarian thinkers support constitutive egalitarianism, the position that equality is important because it is a necessary condition for some greater value, such as justice. In this view, because some inequalities, such as discrimination based on race or gender, are inherently unjust, equality is desirable—or even necessary—to promote justice.

Egalitarian movements

Egalitarian ideals were an animating force behind both the American and French revolutions, though they were imperfectly enacted. The American Declaration of Independence—largely written by Thomas Jefferson, who owned hundreds of enslaved humans as his property—famously stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Similarly, from the French Revolution came the phrase liberté, égalité, fraternité (“liberty, equality, fraternity”), emphasizing the revolutionaries’ insistence on a society in which all members are free and equal, without royalty or aristocracy. The violent excesses of the Reign of Terror cast the phrase into disrepute for some time, but it has been included in several iterations of the French constitution as a principle of the republic.

The egalitarian ideal of liberty and equality before the law is a core notion of liberalism, a school of political thought concerned with individual freedom. However, some egalitarian movements go further, suggesting that equality before the law is insufficient and that policies should be adopted to ensure equality along various measures of prosperity or development. In modern usage the label of egalitarianism is often applied to ideas or movements that seek to distribute wealth and income more evenly. Some socialist political parties, for example, believe that wealth should be owned and managed collectively so that there is equal economic and political power for everyone. Though Karl Marx resisted asserting moral principles in his works, he is sometimes evoked as an egalitarian thinker. Political conflict often arises from this distinction between the equality of each individual before the law and the equality of each individual in terms of resources or economic and political power, sometimes called “equality of outcome.”

Feminism is usually understood to be an egalitarian movement that is concerned with women’s equality with men across all domains, especially social, political, and economic equality. Feminism arose in response to the widespread oppression of women throughout many human societies, in which women were granted limited rights and autonomy. Feminism seeks to dismantle or otherwise address these systems of oppression to establish equality for women. Today egalitarianism is sometimes proposed as an alternative label to feminism, because the label feminism is seen by some as divisive or radical. The word egalitarian is also sometimes used to describe households in which adult partners have a more-equal distribution of domestic tasks and parenting responsibilities than hierarchical family structures that have framed women as responsible for the home.

Some scholars have suggested that human societies have become more egalitarian over time. Economist R.J. Lampman said, “The egalitarian question is different for every generation,” because each generation pushes the boundaries of what equality means, from the simple recognition of the humanity of others to complex questions about equality in social and economic policy. However, other scholars have observed that in many countries economic inequality has been rising in recent decades, and some egalitarian organizations, such as labour unions, have been in decline.