ABSTRACT
Can a theory of equality focussed on human flourishing respect individuals’ freedom to choose? The view that we should hold people responsible for their choices, discussed in the previous chapter, follows from the idea that we should respect people’s interest in making choices. Given that people can make choices detrimental to their flourishing, a flourishing approach to equality faces a conundrum: on the one hand, the focus on flourishing suggests people need direction on how to live; on the other, since choice is a constituent of flourishing, flourishing seems undermined by such direction. In this chapter I examine the controversy about autonomy and flourishing to show how it is possible both to promote the good and leave individuals free to choose it. I argue that autonomy is integral to wellbeing, but a poor cultural environment can undermine autonomy and society therefore should seek to provide favourable conditions for choice. The result is a concept of egalitarian flourishing that not only is consistent with autonomy but also conducive to it; more conducive, indeed, than rival, neutralist liberal positions.
