ABSTRACT
An egalitarian theory might be based on an appeal to equality itself as a moral ideal. This chapter considers views that call for substantive equality in the conditions of people's lives: not just political equality, or equality in the sense of having the same set of basic rights, but equality with respect to the opportunities open to them, or the resources available to them. It discusses that it is not necessary to decide in which of these ways our lives should be equal. The chapter assumes that the view requires equality in the quality of lives, and that the quality of a person's life is a matter of that person's level of welfare or well-being. It distinguishes between the teleological equality view and the deontological equality view. The principle of equality is concerned with the human good, even if equality does not itself make anyone's life better.
