ABSTRACT
Economists have long since understood that, unless one is willing to accept big efficiency losses, equality cannot be achieved because the agents have some influence over their own outcomes. But political philosophers argue that equality is not desirable in the first place, for exactly the same reason. Equality would remove most of the expression of agency by free agents; and/ or it would unduly relieve them from the burden of the consequences of their choices. In other words, full equality would deny responsibility. It is therefore important for the definition of social goals which guide public policies to better understand what responsibility means, and how it can be taken into account.
