Equality of outcome

Equality of outcome, equality of condition, or equality of results is a political concept which is central to some political ideologies and is used regularly in political discourse, often in contrast to the term equality of opportunity. It describes a state in which people have approximately the same material wealth and income, or in which the general economic conditions of their lives are alike. Achieving equal results generally entails reducing or eliminating material inequalities between individuals or households in a society and usually involves a transfer of income or wealth from wealthier to poorer individuals, or adopting other measures to promote equality of condition. A related way of defining equality of outcome is to think of it as 'equality in the central and valuable things in life'. One account in the Journal of Political Philosophy suggested that the term meant 'equalising where people end up rather than where or how they begin', but described this sense of the term as 'simplistic' since it failed to identify what was supposed to be made equal. Equality of outcome, equality of condition, or equality of results is a political concept which is central to some political ideologies and is used regularly in political discourse, often in contrast to the term equality of opportunity. It describes a state in which people have approximately the same material wealth and income, or in which the general economic conditions of their lives are alike. Achieving equal results generally entails reducing or eliminating material inequalities between individuals or households in a society and usually involves a transfer of income or wealth from wealthier to poorer individuals, or adopting other measures to promote equality of condition. A related way of defining equality of outcome is to think of it as 'equality in the central and valuable things in life'. One account in the Journal of Political Philosophy suggested that the term meant 'equalising where people end up rather than where or how they begin', but described this sense of the term as 'simplistic' since it failed to identify what was supposed to be made equal. The concept of equality of outcome is an important one in battling between differing political positions since the concept of equality was overall seen as positive and an important foundation which is 'deeply embedded in the fabric of modern politics'. There is much political jousting over what exactly equality means. It is not a new phenomenon; battling between so-called haves and have-nots has happened throughout human civilization and was a focus of philosophers such as Aristotle in his treatise Politics. In The Guardian, analyst Julian Gloverrote wrote that equality challenged both left-leaning and right-leaning positions and suggested that the task of left-leaning advocates is to 'understand the impossibility and undesirability of equality' while the task for right-leaning advocates was to 'realise that a divided and hierarchical society cannot – in the best sense of that word – be fair'. In political philosophy, there are differing views whether equal outcomes are beneficial or not. One view is that there is a moral basis for equality of outcome, but that means to achieve such an outcome can be malevolent. Equality of outcome can be a good thing after it has been achieved since it reflects the natural 'interdependence of citizens in a highly organized economy' and provides a 'basis for social policies' which foster harmony and good will, including social cohesion and reduced jealousy. Writing in the journal Foreign Affairs, analyst George Packer argued that 'inequality undermines democracy' in the United States partially because it 'hardens society into a class system, imprisoning people in the circumstances of their birth'. Packer elaborated that inequality 'corrodes trust among fellow citizens' and compared it to an 'odorless gas which pervades every corner' of the nation. In his 1987 book The Passion for Equality, analyst Kenneth Cauthen suggested that there were moral underpinnings for having equal outcomes because there is a common good—which people both contribute to and receive benefits from—and therefore should be enjoyed in common. Cauthen argued that this was a fundamental basis for both equality of opportunity as well as equality of outcome.