Author: Haroon Khalil

Liberty as a principle in political theory has been closely identified with the liberal–capitalist tradition. It primarily stands for liberty of contract and private property and follows the policy of laissez faire. Equality in its legal and political form was demanded by the rising capitalist class to seek equality with aristocratic elements and the nobility. This was…

Liberty as a principle in political theory has been closely identified with the liberal–capitalist tradition. It primarily stands for liberty of contract and private property and follows the policy of laissez faire. Equality in its legal and political form was demanded by the rising capitalist class to seek equality with aristocratic elements and the nobility. This was…

We have noted that equality does not mean equal treatment to all. In fact, at times to fulfil the condition of equality, individuals are required to be treated unequally. This means, there is scope for reasonable and rational grounds for discrimination. Discrimination stands for ‘making an adverse distinction with regard to or distinguishing unfavourably from others.’54 Discrimination…

Economic equality may have different interpretations based on different perspectives. Primarily, economic equality is closely identified with socialist and Marxian thoughts. In the Marxian perspective, economic-based class inequality is the primary form of inequality that informs all other dimensions. Economic equality demands change in the basic structure of society as it seeks social ownership of…

One of the social inequalities is found in the form of gender-based inequalities. Initially, demand for gender equality was expressed for equal voting rights. Presently, opportunities in the field of education, employment, public offices, etc. and the economic process have led to a greater role of women in all aspects of society. It is argued…

As the term suggests, social equality signifies equal chance or opportunity to all for self-development as a human personality. It also envisages the absence of special privileges to anyone. Social equality means no one should be discriminated in the distribution of rights, privileges and opportunities based on birth, caste, religion, language, race, colour, gender or…

When Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address on 19 November 1863 in the thick of the American civil war, he expressed his anguish and pain, apprehending whether the nation could endure such a long such a civil war. Optimistically, he ended his address saying a few words that have come to be closely identified…

Civil equality means equality as citizens. Nevertheless, civil equality is based on legally available rights and liberties. Legal equality is a juristic concept and implies equality before law. Hobbes, Bentham and Austin advocated a concept of legally defined rights and duties of those who are members of a political community. This means that law treats…

The word civil is derived from the Latin word civilis or civis, which stands for citizen. This relates to each citizen as individual rather than as member of a community. Historically, the Romans had the concept of civitas. This means the community of people who enjoyed rights and performed duties and is akin to the concept of citizenship of today.…

In our brief survey of history of equality and inequality, we have located various dimensions of equality such as civil, economic, gender, legal, political, racial, social, etc. One may also add natural equality as one more dimension as it appeared in the declarations after the American and the French Revolutions. By dimension of equality, we mean the aspects…