When it's stated that human beings are equal, what kind of equality is usually implied?

Question

I was reading an essay where the author seems to define equality among people as mathematical equality. Of course, this seemed to be overly simplistic so I wanted to look for a better definition.

I am also aware that there's several trivial definitions, but at first glance most of them seem to be either baseless or statements of desire rather than fact. For example, the statement that everyone should have equal rights.

Ideally, it would be nice to have a definition of "equality" that can actually be empirically, or at least logically measured against reality.

Answer 1

If we define humans by their accidents (physical features, genetics, habits etc), it is impossible to find even two equals. But in philosophy, human as a concept is abstracted from essential commonalities of human beings which include human physical organs, his natural desires, his senses and above all his faculty of reason. It is these essential commonalities that underpin the concept of equality of human beings.

Answer 2

You are looking for a definition that can be tested?

How about was the descendant of a human being?

We all have one mother. Some thousands of years ago. We are all children of the same mother. So we are equals in that sense. All that might be different would be the age and birth order.

Equal just means it would be to complicated to rank everything all the time so we just give everybody the same rights and only rank when there is conflict.

Answer 3

Personal equality is subjective and ultimately illusory without an objective reference point that places intrinsic worth and objective value on people's lives. Historically and logically, this could only come from the perception of objective values that provide an objective moral basis for the equality of human beings. The idea that we OUGHT to preserve life, as opposed to not doing so, hinges ultimately on the objective values such as it is "good" to live and therefore "right" to preserve human life. I don't want to make this a religious discussion, but historically, the basic value system of Christianity is what ultimately provided the moral framework on which we base things such as women's rights and human rights and on this alone is what we base our idea of equality. Let's observe women's rights for example. In the pre-Christian world, patriarchal societies were the norm. Women had about as much rights as cattle. They were often considered property. But, upon the explosion of Christianity onto the scene, the way women were viewed was radically changed. Why? In Roman Judea, women were considered second class. There was no such thing as equality for women of their day. But, here comes this man named Jesus. Treating them as equals, which was considered an embarrassment. Naturally, this would cause his followers to start viewing women differently since they believed Jesus to be God in the flesh and therefore the ultimate anchor of their morality into reality, granting objectivity to their moral values. Simply put, men and women began to be seen as equal because all are equal before God(initially, the Judeo-Christian God). This is the basis for human rights. Which, in turn, is the basis for equality among people. Which is why our culturally Christian nation, USA, has laws and a governing system that places so much emphasis on equality and the sacred rights of the individual. Without an ultimate, personal reference point(God) there is no real basis whatsoever for objective values and morality and, in turn, equality becomes a figment of imagination.

Answer 4

Human beings are not equal. When we say Joe is equal to Smith, we mean Smith has all the qualities Joe has - this is obviously false when Joe and Smith are two. In energy and intelligence, in character and appearance, in desires and ambitions, in ability and achievement and, most important of all, in the expansiveness of feelings, no one is equal to anyone else. This is an empirical fact. The truth is, between men and apes, there is no such a thing as an impassable gulf. The Greeks, even in their most democratic period, believed in proportions; they believed that one's sphere of influence should be proportional to his abilities. Most people actually understand this when it comes to their own health - they wisely consult physicians instead of laymen - but when it comes to state affairs, everyone believes he is equal to everyone else as a physician of the state.

The US constitution is fundamentally flawed. The disastrous effect of carrying this faulty axiom to its logical conclusions is beginning to show. As a matter of fact, Americans don't need to look far to foretell their future: the world's largest democracy is only decades ahead of the US, and the US is catching up at an amazing speed.