HIMACHAL PRADESH NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, SHIMLA

TOPIC- IDEA OF EQUALITY

Submitted to: Dr. Ved Prakash Sharma

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Submitted by: Nitin Ghanghas

Enrollment No.: 1020220026

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The accomplishment of this project is owed to the constant support and guidance of people
whom I'd like to convey my sincere gratitude.
DR. VED PRAKASH SHARMA our Political Science teacher enabled me to complete this
project, with his constant encouragement. His valuable help and guidance were instrumental
in this project and in resolving all the doubts encountered during the making of this project.
I am thankful to Dr. Nistha Jaiswal Ma'am, Vice Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh National
Law University, for allowing me to do this project. The Library Staff aided me in my
research for the project through the usage of the online database and journal collection
available in the library.

DECLARATION
I solemnly declare that the project report based on the “Idea of Equality ” is my own work
carried out during the course of our study under the supervision of DR. VED PRAKASH
SHARMA, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, at Himachal Pradesh National
Law University (Shimla). I assert the statements made and conclusions drawn are an outcome
of my research work.
I further certify that,
A. The work constrained in the report is original and has been done by me under the general
supervision of my supervisor.
B. The work has not been submitted to any other institution for any other degree/certificate in
this university or any other University in India or abroad.
C. Whenever we used material (data, theoretical analysis, and text) from other sources, we
have given due credit to them in the text of the report and gave their details in the references.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 5
2. EQUALITY DOES NOT MEAN ABSOLUTE EQUALITY 6
3. FEATURES OF EQUALITY 7
4. TYPES OF EQUALITY 8-9
 5. RELATION BETWEEN LIBERTY AND EQUALITY 10-11
6. MARXIST THEORY OF EQUALITY 12-13
7. CONCLUSION 14
8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 15

INTRODUCTION
Equality is one of the most fundamental rights of democracy. It is the essential pillar of
democracy. According to the French declaration of rights, "Men are born and will always be
free and equal regarding their rights" equality is listed as one of the four fundamental goals of
the Indian polity, along with justice, liberty, and fraternity, in the Preamble of the Indian
Constitution. Equality, which means the state of being equal, is derived from Aequs/ aequalis,
meaning "fair." It signifies "having the same rights, privileges, treatments, status, and
opportunities." Because rights, treatments, and opportunities are pretty dispersed among the
recipients as a result of Equality, it is considered related to the distributive principle. Fairness
does not imply that everyone should be treated equally in all situations.
 In actuality, it very likely refers to treating individuals who are unequal unfairly. Since it
necessitates a fair distributing system, it essentially connects to the fairness principle. Nature
delights in diversity. The physical prowess and cerebral capabilities of men vary. As a result,
Equality does not negate the inherent disparities between individuals. However, Equality
implies that each person should have an equal chance to develop their faculties. There are
socially constructed conventional inequalities. Human thought and social planning can
eliminate these. For instance, financial inequities predominate above all other natural and
physical impacts in this category. Equal treatment for all does not constitute Equality.
However, it only refers to relative Equality among equals and disparity among unequals. But
this should be justified and based on logic. Equality is descriptive and normative.

By definition, Equality is a descriptive concept that refers to two things that are alike in one
particular way. To be considered two distinct entities, two things cannot be completely
similar. Either quality or quantity may be equivalent. Equality can be based on something,
people, or other social constructs like institutions, groups, etc. Equality is also a normative
idea. As a normative term, Equality refers to the notion that all people are, in fact, equal
(descriptive) but that this genuine Equality necessitates that we treat them differently.
Providing exceptional treatment could imply treating everyone equally or treating people
differently to help them return to or realize a particular factual state. The normative concept
of Equality is crucial to contemporary political and social discourse. The critical points of
contention around Equality as a normative term are:

(1) Factual assertions regarding the particular sense or senses in which humans are the
same; Equality.
(2) What qualifies as appropriate special treatment, i.e., which specific reasons have
normative weight
(3) factual assertions concerning which public actions are in line with, effective in
achieving, and compatible with the appropriate special treatment?

Equality does not mean absolute Equality

When "equality" is used, it often refers to treating everyone equally and rewarding
them fairly. It is required as a matter of course. All men are believed to be born
natural and free. However, the idea of inherent and perfect Equality for everyone
cannot be entirely accepted and achieved, despite a tremendous emotional appeal to
our hearts. Men are unequal in terms of their physical characteristics or mental
faculties. Some are smarter and more capable than others, while others are stronger
and weaker.

Their capabilities and capacities are different

As a result, it is impossible to guarantee equitable treatment and incentives. Rewards

must be based on the existing skills and labor of different people. As a result, Equality
does not imply total and absolute Equality. Equal possibilities for development are
what Equality means. When we refer to the Equality of all men, we mean broad and
equitable Equality rather than perfect Equality.

Instead of talking about equal compensation for everyone, we truly mean a fair
allocation of opportunity.

Equality is the absence of all artificial and unfair differences. Two types of disparities
exist in society today.
There are two types of inequality:

1. Natural inequalities, and

2. Man-made unnatural inequalities

The former refers to the inherent disparities among people. All parties involved must
accept these. The inequalities resulting from social injustices and prejudice are known
as manufactured inequalities. These are the socioeconomic disparities brought on by
how the social system functions. All unnatural, artificial discrepancies include those
practiced and those upheld in the name of caste, color, creed, religion, sex, place of
birth, and similar categories. Ending these types of prejudice and inequities is what
Equality means. With the rise of modernity, and particularly the Protestant
Reformation, Equality became a key idea. They are starting with modernism.

The locus of standards separates the classical viewpoint from the modern one.
According to classical thinkers, including medieval thinkers, the means of truth,
goodness, and beauty were all structural aspects of the world outside of human
beings. The idea that some people had immediate and direct access to such external
standards gave some people authority while others didn't (by knowledge or grace).
Once those principles were understood, it was our responsibility to follow them.
Conformity to the world's natural order was the goal of wisdom. All norms are
internal to modern thinkers.

Features or characteristics of Equality

 1. Equality does not stand for absolute Equality. It accepts the presence of some natural
inequalities.
2. Equality stands for the absence of all unnatural, artificial inequalities and specially
privileged classes in the society
3. Equality postulates the grant and guarantee of equal rights and freedoms to all people.
4. Equality implies a system of equal and adequate opportunities for everyone in society.
5. Equality means equal satisfaction of the basic needs of all persons before the special
needs", and luxuries of some persons may be met.
6. Equality advocates an equitable and fair distribution of wealth and resources, i.e., the
Minimum possible gap between the rich and poor.
7. Equality accepts the principle of protective discrimination to help the weaker sections
of society. In the Indian political system, the right to Equality has been given to all.
Yet, there are incorporated provisions for granting special protection facilities and
reservations to persons belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other
Backward Classes, minorities, women, and children.

Thus, Equality stands for 3 Basic Features:

(a) Absence of special privileges in society.

(b) Presence of adequate and equal opportunities for all in the community.
(c) Similar satisfaction of basic needs of all.

The appropriate definition of Equality is the equal fulfillment of fundamental human

wants, including the urge to grow and use uniquely human abilities. Equality means
that no one shall be in such a position in society that anyone can interfere with his
neighbor to the point where it results in the denial of the neighbor's citizenship.
"Equality entails the removal of all special rights and advantages and guaranteeing
equal rights for all persons.

Therefore, negative Equality entails the elimination of any unique benefits and
advantages that may be granted to certain social classes or individuals. Additionally,
it advocates for the elimination of all artificial prejudices and inequities. Positive
Equality promotes equal rights, fair resource distribution, equal development
possibilities, and relative Equality with proper appreciation of the merits, skills, and
competencies of distinct people.

Types of Equality

1. Social Equality
 All members of a society must be treated equally for there to be social Equality.
This may include having access to civil rights, freedom of speech, autonomy,
and specific public goods and social services. To achieve social Equality, there
must be no legally recognized social class or caste distinctions, and there must be
no discrimination based on a fundamental aspect of an individual's identity. For
instance, proponents of social Equality think everyone should have the same
rights under the law, regardless of their sex, gender, race, age, sexual orientation,
origin, caste or class, language, religion, convictions, opinions, or physical or
mental health. Equal opportunity is connected to social Equality.

Different schools of thought define and quantify social Equality differently.

These include a combination of these things and Equality of authority, rights,
goods, opportunities, and capacities. It can also be characterized by political
egalitarianism, justice, individual power dynamics, and distributive Equality.
Societies that advocate for social Equality do not distinguish between social
classes or ranks, and interpersonal interactions within such a society are typically
based on the concept of reciprocal respect and equal value rather than hierarchy
or honor. Many distinct ideologies, such as communism, anarchism,
multiculturalism, republicanism, democracy, socialism, and social democracy,
are influenced by the concepts of social Equality.

Social Equality stands for equal rights and opportunities for the development of
all classes of people without any discrimination.

In more detail, it stands for:

a) No special privileges for any class, caste, religious group, or ethnic group
b) No discrimination against anybody based on caste, race, faith, religion, sex,
or place of birth
c) Free access to public sites for all the people, i.e., no social segregation
d) Equality of opportunity for everyone. However, it recognizes the idea of
protective discrimination in support of all socially disadvantaged groups.

Ending gender inequality, ensuring equal status and opportunities for women,
and ensuring equal rights for male and female children to live and develop is
an essential contemporary social equality subject.

2. Political Equality

It promotes fair chances for everyone to participate in the political process. This
is related to the idea of granting all citizens equal political rights with some set
requirements. It refers to a society's ability to have voluntary members on an
equal footing in terms of political influence or authority. Political egalitarianism,
a founding premise of various types of democracy, is a notion akin to moral
reciprocity and legal Equality that Thomas Jefferson espoused. The theory
contends that all citizens of a given nation must be treated equally based on their
citizenship status, not on their race, religion, intelligence level, or wealth group.
 The fundamental principle of political egalitarianism is equal citizenship. This is
demonstrated by values like one person, one vote, Equality before the law, and
equal free speech rights.

"Equality of rights about the political realm provided to people on account of

citizenship of a nation-state" would be the gnomic definition of political
Equality. It includes civic liberties and rights, including equal access to political
office, universal adult suffrage, one man, one vote, and others. The cornerstone
of political Equality is the assumption that man is a rational entity, for which
reason he has the capacity for political judgment notwithstanding disparities
between men and women. Political Equality later came to be associated more
with democratic freedoms, including the right to free speech, the ability to form
associations, the right to hold political opinions without fear, and other civil
rights.

3. Economic Equality

Economic Equality does not imply that everyone will receive the same treatment,
compensation, or pay. It promotes giving everyone an equal and fair opportunity
to find employment and support themselves. It also implies that the basic needs
of everyone should come first, followed by the unique requirements of a select
few. A minimum disparity between the rich and the poor is desired. The wealth
and resources of society should be distributed fairly.

Economic Equality does not imply that everyone will be treated equally or be
paid equally. It advocates granting each person a fair and equal chance to find
employment and sustain oneself. It also indicates that the requirements of a
chosen few should come last, with everyone's basic needs coming first. The gap
between the rich and the poor should be as narrow as possible. Fair distribution
of society's wealth and resources is necessary.

4. Legal Equality

Legal Equality also refers to everyone being treated equally before the law,
subject to the same set of rules, and having an equal chance to get legal
protection for their freedom and rights. Laws must be equally enforceable for
everyone, and there must be a rule of law. All of these aspects of Equality must
be guaranteed in every society.

Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states: "All are
equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection
of the law." Therefore, regardless of race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion,
disability, or other traits, everyone must be treated equally under the law without
privilege. The majority of national constitutions around the world contain a general
guarantee of Equality, but how that guarantee is put into practice varies. A few
bodies, for instance, specify the right to Equality regardless of nationality, despite
the fact that many constitutions’ guarantee Equality irrespective of race.
Relationship between liberty and Equality

Liberty and Equality are closely related to each other. There is no value in liberty in
the absence of Equality. They are the same conditions viewed from different angles.

Liberty- Liberty does not imply a lack of restrictions. A friendly environment of

liberty is essential for the personality development of a person. However, a member
of society cannot take the freedom to act in a way that is adverse to societal or
governmental interests.

Equality- Equality means that no one has special privileges, and everyone has an
equal opportunity to flourish. According to Prof. Laski, Equality means that no class
should have exclusive benefits, and everyone should have an equal opportunity to
grow.

The concepts of liberty and Equality are intertwined. In the absence of Equality,
liberty has no value. Viewed from various perspectives, they are the same
circumstances. They represent the two halves of a single coin. Even though there is a
strong correlation between liberty and Equality, some political philosophers do not
see this connection. For instance, the sincere libertarians Lord Acton and De
Tocqueville recognized no relationship between the two issues.

They saw liberty and Equality as mutually exclusive and opposed. Lord Acton says,
"The drive for equality made the hope for liberty futile." Such political theorists
contend that freedom precludes Equality, and Equality precludes liberty. These
political theorists believe that people were born with inherent inequalities. Inequality
is also present in nature.

There are rivers in some places, mountains in others, and plains and farmland in
other sites. No two people are alike in their capacities and abilities. Therefore,
Equality in society is impossible. Modern political theorists disagree with Lord
Acton's and De Tocqueville's perspectives. Professor H.J. Laski correctly stated that
"liberty and Equality are antithetical ideas to men so zealous for liberty as
Tocqueville and Lord Acton. It comes to a sudden conclusion. However, it all stems
from a misinterpretation of what Equality entails in the cases of both men.

Nowadays, it's commonly accepted that liberty and Equality go hand in hand. If
someone is given unrestricted freedom to do anything he wants, he will hurt other
people. If people are granted available freedom, society will be in disarray.

The Individualists of the nineteenth century misunderstood what the word "Liberty"
meant. Individualists did not give economic Equality any weight, and the emphasis
was placed on the government's approval of Laissez Faire. The most fervent
supporter of this viewpoint was Adam Smith.

The Individualists argued that capitalists and labour leaders should engage in open
competition. They did not want the government to get involved in business
decisions. It is advisable to use the demand and supply formula.
This formula will solve all of the economic problems. Prices will decrease if there is
a surplus of goods and easy access to labour. Price increases will occur if there is a
shortage. This method was used in England and many other European nations and
had dangerous repercussions.

The government no longer influences business owners. The entrepreneurs made the
most of the chance. They made the most of the labor available. As a result,
Individualism met with an intense backlash. The advent of socialism was a result of
this reaction. The concepts of Individualism were rejected and criticized by
socialism. If there is no economic equality, liberty is meaningless. Professor Laski
said it quite well when there are rich and poor, educated and ignorant people: "We
always discover a relation of master and servant."

Therefore, it is evident that political freedom cannot exist without economic

Equality. If not, it will be a capitalist democracy where workers have the right to
vote but cannot further their interests. Therefore, only a socialist democracy where
Equality and liberty are mutually exclusive is capable of achieving freedom in the
world true meaning.

According to Barker, Equality must always be a subject and a tool for the
unrestrained growth of capacity. However, if Equality is pushed to the point of
uniformity and uniformity is used to impede the free development of power, the
subject takes control, and the world is turned upside down.

R.H. Tawney correctly noted that a significant degree of Equality is fundamental to

liberty, far from being harmful to it. According to Pollard, there is only one solution
to the problem of liberty. It is found in Equality. As a result, Liberty and Equality are
complementary. They don't conflict with one another. They are compatible.

Remembering that freedom and Equality are secondary means to fully realizing each
person's potential on an enormous scale feasible may help you reconcile liberty and
Equality. A great deal of freedom is necessary for developing a wide range of
potentialities, and any efforts to enforce a fixed degree of social and economic
Equality are prohibited.

Because all individual liberties are tied to the fundamental Equality of all men and
because, historically, the longing for freedom turned into the destruction of privilege
or inequality, there is a close connection between the two.

Both are beneficial to one another. According to Herbert A. Dean, "Liberty thus
implies equality; liberty and equality are not in competition or even separate but are
manifestations of the same ideal." This is undoubtedly the closest, if not the most
satisfactory, solution yet developed for a recurring problem in political philosophy
because they are identical. Therefore, there can be no question about how or to what
extent they are or may be related.

Conclusion - Equality, and liberty are not mutually exclusive but complement one
another. Those who treat them in opposition do not understand what they truly
signify. Equality and liberty are intimately related if the positive connotation is
understood.

Marxist theory of Equality

The term the Marxist theory of Equality comes from the well-known German
economist and social critic of the nineteenth century, Karl Marx. Marx's close friend
and co-worker was Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital,
which served as the foundation for the philosophy known as Marxism, are Marx and
Engels' two most important writings.

Marx's notion of Equality originates in the concept of class conflict. The basic tenet
of this theory was that industrial bosses, or what Marx called "owners of the means
of production," increased their exploitation of the working class when
industrialization was blossoming in the middle of the nineteenth century. As a result,
he separated the bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production) from the
proletariats (laborers or the working class).

Due to the rising discrepancy between the bourgeoisie and proletariat's standard of
living and the homogenization of each class, individual battles have been
generalized to factory-wide coalitions. At the societal level, class antagonism is
becoming more visible. Class awareness grows, similar interests and policies are
organized, and political power is used and contested. As political forces, classes
began to dominate society. According to Marxist theory, poverty and inequality are
essential elements of the capitalist mode of production because it is compelled us to
develop egalitarian social structures.

Through the services and opportunities each person has available, and inequality is
passed down from one generation to the next. A hierarchy of community habitats
replicating the hierarchical class structure makes up the city's social geography. The
system changes as a result of changes in the demand for labour. The system's
ongoing need to create and maintain an industrial reserve army is the cause of the
persistent poverty in American cities. Without significant modifications to the mode
of production, inequality and poverty cannot be eliminated.

Even the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engel contained an analysis of how the
working class shaped both past and future history. Additionally, it issued a call to
arms for workers worldwide to band together to secure their liberation and,
ultimately, the freedom of the entire human race. Regarding its global applicability,
it is the only theory that confronts the inequality problem in all its manifestations,
including its economic, political, social, and capitalist forms.

This theory is the only one that, in addition to offering a wealth of arguments to
provide an X-ray of the determinants and effects of social inequality in capitalism,
foresees a solution for its eradication due to its transformative disposition and
commitment to the construction of a genuinely egalitarian society.
Marx refers to the identical social position of men in classless societies while
discussing Equality in his writings, demonstrating the consistency of his
philosophical, economic, and political thought. This idea moves the conversation
about Equality from the state (an entity primarily dedicated to the ruling class) to a
society without classes (a locus where differences and conditions that can produce
an unequal social position of men would be absent).

Marx's stance on Equality does not suggest that he favours everyone's Equality in
terms of their individual needs but instead that he prefers the suppression of social
classes and, as a result, of everyone's Equality in terms of socioeconomic status. This
is equivalent to saying that everyone can only depend on equal opportunity for work
and salaries compatible with each person's production level with the socialization of
the means of production, and thus with the elimination of private property and the
exploitation of labour inherent to class societies. Therefore, according to Marx,
Equality is neither the same as the uniformity of rules as understood by liberal
ideology nor the elimination of all private property as understood by early
communism.

According to Marx, it is the private property of the means of production, which

gives importance to the satisfaction of societal needs while allowing individuals the
freedom to keep their distinctions, that should be suppressed. Since only in a society
of economic and social well-being, free from the worry of survival, will men be able
to incorporate the cultural resources and moral values that will be available to
everyone, as well as fully realize their capacities and potential, the concepts of
Equality and liberty have a lot in common? The end of the state and, in Engels'
words, "the substitution of rule over the people for the management of things and the
supervision of the production processes" are only possible in a society devoid of
social classes.

Therefore, Marx argued that the only way to increase the productive forces to the
point where all human needs are met is through the collectivization of the means of
production and financial incentives.

Conclusion

Compared to all the other components, Equality is the foundation of democracy. It

establishes the framework for a united, democratic country free from prejudice. By
its very nature, democracy demands that all conceptions of what Equality should be
cannot remain excluded from political discussion and debate. Following the
American War of Independence and the French Revolution, the idea of Equality
gained popularity in the 18th century. Men are born free and equal regarding their
rights, according to the French Declaration of Human Rights of 1879.

"Equality does not entail that identity of treatment and sameness of rewards," asserts
Laski. So, Equality comes first in conclusion.
All indicates that there are no special privileges and that everyone has access to
sufficient possibilities. As a result, everyone receives the appropriate amount of
compensation for the labor they perform.
Additionally, Liberty and Equality work best together. They have both been growing
concurrently. Equal rights under the law are vital for civil liberties and freedom.
Together, liberty and Equality thus define the circumstances of human freedom.

In the Marxian context, the meaning of Equality lies in the roots of the end of class
conflict. Therefore, the expansion of the human species would undoubtedly be more
significant than any expansion that has ever been recorded in a state of great
Equality and morality, where good manners rule.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. https://www.equalitynow.org
2. https://www.researchgate.net/
3. https://www.jstor.org/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/
5. www.civilservicesindia.com
6. Principles of Modern Political Science by A. C. Joshi
7. An Introduction to Political Theory by OP Guaba