One Another's Equals: The Basis of Human Equality - What makes us one another's equals?

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Our parishioner Prof. Jeremy Waldron will be giving the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh in early 2015. His topic is the basis of human equality.

These classes, given on three Wednesdays in Lent: February 25, March 4, and March 11, are abstracts of these letures, and will run from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in Andrew Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Tonight’s topic is: What makes us one another’s equals?

Professor Waldron has summarized his lectures as follows:

‚ÄúThat humans are all one another’s equals, and that our fundamental equality makes a difference to how we ought to deal with each other and to organize ourselves legally, politically, socially and economically — all this has been an enduring theme in Western philosophy, including Jewish and Christian thought, for thousands of years. Yet it is woefully under-explored.

“In recent political philosophy, a tremendous amount of energy has been devoted to equality as an economic or social aim. People ask whether equality of wealth, income, or happiness is something we should aim for; whether it is an acceptable aim in itself or code for something else, like the mitigation of poverty; whether it implies an unacceptable leveling; and whether, if achieved, it could possibly be stable. People also ask how it is related to other social values such as efficiency, liberty, and the rule of law. Such questions are important. But there has not been nearly enough discussion of the fundamental idea of equality that underlies all this.

‚ÄúThese lectures are an attempt to remedy that shortfall. In the lectures I will be asking: What does it mean to say we are all one another’s equals? Does a sense of equality distinguish humans from other animals? On what is this human equality based? Is it a religious idea? Is it a practical commitment? Is it just a matter of human rights? Is there supposed to be some shared feature that all human beings have in common? And if we take that approach, what are we to say about our brothers and sisters who suffer from profound disability‚Äîwhose human claims seem to outstrip any particular description that they satisfy or any capacity that they have?‚Äù

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