Research On Equality In Contemporary Western Political Philosophy

The emergence of Western political philosophy has always been closely related to human practice.People always pursue a good life and a good society.Western political philosophy has always been oriented towards the reality.From the theme of justice in classical political philosophy to the liberty theme of modern political philosophy to the equal theme of modern political philosophy,it all reflects the interweaving of theory and reality.It is not accidental that equality becomes the theme of contemporary political philosophy.It has inherent historical development logic and theoretical development logic.The real world creates inequalities in the complex intertwining and mutual movement of society and individuals.Equality and inequality are two sides that are mutually antagonistic.The breadth and depth of inequality become the yardstick for measuring social justice.The reason why equality can be the object is the existence of inequality.As Rousseau said,inequality is the original state of mankind,and equality is precisely the product of civilization.The analysis of inequality and the pursuit of equality have become the theoretical issues that political philosophers must respond to in reality.There are many influential egalitarianism,such as the Theory of Welfare Equality,the Theory of Equality of Welfare Opportunities(represented by Richard J.Arneson),A Theory of Justice(represented by Rawls),the Theory of Resource Equality(Ronald Dworkin),the Theory of Capacity(represented by Amartya Sen)and the Dignity Egalitarian Theory(represented by Martha Nussbaum).The egalitarian theory has always centered on two core issues—the pursuit of equality and the realization of such equality.First,"What kind of equality is pursued".The synonymous expression of this issue is the “equality of what” proposed by Amartya Sen,and the so-called “equality of currency” by G.A.Cohen.In general,the pursuit of “equality of what” includes three aspects: “equality of rights”,“equality of opportunity” and “equality of distribution”,which logically correspond to the equality of starting point,the equality of process and the equality of results."The pursuit of equality of rights" is the satisfaction of individual rights and the personal preferences;"the pursuit of equality of opportunities" often means formal equality of opportunity and substantial equality of opportunity;"the pursuit of equality of distribution" can be summarized as the distribution subject and distribution content through three dimensions: social perspective,groups perspective and individual perspective.Second,"how to achieve the pursuit of equality".In the face of inequality derived from facts,the appeal of equality should turn to reality in order to achieve a certain realization.With reference to the equality in the first issue(“What kind of equality is pursued”),this paper summarizes its corresponding implementation path as an external realization path and an internal realization path.Specifically,the equality of path of external realization path depends on institutional construction and free-market operations.On the contrary,it leaves less space for individuals to contribute to the realization of equality.For example,Rawls holds the view that political constitutions and distribution systems should be guided by two principles of justice;Nozick advocates that the minimal state should leave room for the market;Dworkin's virtual auction and insurance mechanism in accordance with market operations.On the one hand,the equality of path of external realization path obviously has external dependencies(institution or market).On the other hand,all the things that people should take care are entirely attributed to certain “external” factors,which means that people's self-selection and autonomous behavior and their outcomes are ignored.In the process of constructing equality,the person as the dual subject of equality project,the subject of action and the subject of benefit,do they have the initiative? For those with dignity and self-esteem,the theory of capacity egalitarianism and the equality of dignity provide us with another internal dimension.capacity egalitarianism believes in the principle of each individual as a purpose.Finally,the issue of the relationship between equality and liberty.In the framework of liberalism,does equality become an absolute challenge to liberty as an established value goal? Is there a conflict between equality and liberty? If faced with conflict,how to achieve the coexistence of equality and liberty? The theory of egalitarianism believes that there is no contradiction between equality and liberty.On the contrary,liberty is an essential element in achieving equality.In fact,the issue of the relationship between equality and liberty lies in the priority of equality and liberty.In the face of different egalitarian theoretical arguments,we need to return to the normative issue of equality to clarify the core issues of equality:the pursuit of equality and the realization of such equality.The core issues of equality not only have the theoretical significance of integration and analysis of the discussion of equality issues,but also have the guiding significance for advancing the political practice of equality.