Aristotle's Equality

Comment on Aristotle's concept of Equality.

Aristotle's concept of equality is deeply rooted in his ethical and political philosophy, especially in his works Nicomachean Ethics and Politics.

In the Greek language, the word equality means justice. For Aristotle, justice means giving each person their 'due' according to merit or need.

Aristotle's concept of proportionate equality emphasizes that those who are equal should be treated equally. Unequals ought to be treated differently provided the difference in treatment is proportional to the inequality between them.

For Aristotle, justice involves equality "not for everyone, only for equals." He agrees with Plato that political democracy is essentially unjust, as it tries to treat unequals as if they were equals. Justice rather requires "inequality" for people who are "unequal".

Aristotle believed that certain individuals should play leading roles in the polis, and he emphasized on political justice as a function of the common good of a community. He considers political justice requires "proportional" rather than numerical equality.

For Aristotle, justice is a rational mean between extremes. Proportional equality or equity involves the "intermediate" position between someone's unfairly getting "less" than is deserved and unfairly getting "more" at another's exposure. The "mean" of justice lies between the vices of extremes i.e., disproportionate excess and disproportionate deficiency.

His approach to equality reflects on fairness, merit, and the role of different individuals within a social framework.

 

 

 

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