ABSTRACT
This chapter explores two groups of questions, such as, why is equality to be valued or pursued and in what ways are people to be treated equally. It considers three external arguments for equality, namely: that based on promoting overall utility, that based on impartiality, and that based on incommensurability. The chapter also explores some concerns about arguments from fundamental equality, most importantly whether they really are egalitarian at all. It also considers different grounds for equal treatment and examines proposals about the ways in which it is important not to treat some people better than others. The chapter proposes two types of arguments supporting the importance of equality, and in particular equal distributions of the good things in life: the utilitarian argument that such distributions maximize overall happiness, and the argument from impartiality. Advocates of democracy—and the Fifteenth Amendment—have argued that equal citizenship endorses political equality, according to which each citizen has an equal say in elections.
