Tension Between Equality And Equality

to what extent is there tension between liberalism and the principle of equality
Many parts of liberalism are based on equality, for example: justice and toleration. However, there is some tension between liberals and how equality should be approached. This essay will focus on … different parts of liberalism and its approach to equality, these are:
Formal Equality,
Socialists say it is inegalitarian
Foundational Equality
Legal equality
Equality of Opportunity
Economy
Modern liberals

Liberals believe in Formal Equality which is the belief that all Individuals should enjoy equal rights and entitlements.Formal equality also supports the idea that everyone should have the same legal status and should be viewed as equal before the law. This …show more content…
One example of this could be private and public schools: two people could be seen as equal on paper but the child who went to private school may be more successful if they came from a richer family and had better social circumstances. This causes tension between liberalism and equality because they believe everyone should be able to live how they want but also think everyone should start .life on a fair playing field.

Liberals also subscribe to the idea of Foundational Equality. Foundational equality is the belief that All humans are born equal with each individual being of equal moral worth. This means there isn't tension between liberalism and the principle of equality because they think everyone is born equal.this is supported by the term “difference blind” which is often used to refer to liberals and means that Gender, race, religion, creed and social background are irrelevant to them.
This is an idea embodied in the notion of natural rights which was said by Locke to be “inalienable”. Natural rights are at the basis of society and provide a guideline for the basics of human life. This shows that there isn't tension between liberals and the principle of