However, a person only has an opportunity if she has a chance of achieving that goal. Westen shows that an opportunity is a three-way relationship between a person, some obstacles, and a desired goal.
The concept of Equality of Opportunity has been examined by philosopher Peter Westen. While there is only one concept of equality of opportunity, there are many different conceptions. It is a particular way of understanding the kind of equality and the kinds of opportunities that are most valuable or more important. The term 'conception' refers to a specific interpretation of a notion or idea. Second, we could be asking for the correct conception of equality of opportunity. We are asking what kind of features must a statement have to count as a statement of equality of opportunity rather than a statement of something else. If so, we are asking for the idea in its most general form. First, we could be asking about the concept of equality of opportunity.
When we ask what equality of opportunity is we could be asking two questions. But before we go any further we should ask, “What is Equality of Opportunity?” What is Equality of Opportunity? Our acknowledgement of the importance of freedom and equality motivate the theory and practice of Equality of Opportunity. Equality of opportunity is usually opposed to slavery, hierarchy and caste society, where social positions, life prospects and individual freedoms are determined by membership of some group that you are born into, such as the aristocracy. At its most basic, Equality of Opportunity requires that all human beings are equal in the sphere of opportunity. A combination of freedom and equality, then, promises to describe a fitting social ideal for people who disagree about important, religious, moral and political questions, and yet want to live together in mutual respect.Įquality of Opportunity is one such combination and it has been a rich source of academic and political debate, a political slogan, and a widely held conviction about how human beings should live together. Whereas Equal Unfreedom, where we are all slaves or lack basic rights, strikes us as wrong because it is unfree. Unequal freedom, where some have freedom of religion and others do not, strikes us as wrong because it is unequal. In the sphere of religious worship, for example, individuals decide what religion they will worship. Part of what we value in this mixture is the protection from interference and having others dictate our lives to us and the other part of what we value is that we enjoy this protection on equal terms. Our equal rights to a fair trial, to vote in elections, to association, speech and religion are each an equal right to a sphere of freedom. Inequality in these areas seems as intolerable as sameness in dress, family size or in our choice of recreational activities.įreedom or opportunity may explain where and when equality seems most important. For instance, equality before the law and equal rights to vote seem to be at the heart of our convictions about how we should live together. Equality is still attractive if we limit its scope to some areas. However, we should be careful not to reject equality entirely on this basis.
For instance, if everyone were forced to wear the same clothes, pursue the same hobbies and have the same number of children, we would think this was intolerable. Equality of opportunity is a social ideal that combines concern with freedom and equality, and this social ideal provides a vision of how we ought to live together.Īt first glance, the value of equality can seem to demand uniformity that seems dystopian. Freedom and equality are foundational values that we draw upon when envisioning a better society.
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