Equality of Opportunity Essay

Equality of opportunity is the notion that every person is offered the same opportunities in order to be just, even if the there are preexisting inequalities among persons. A person can become a successful doctor, whereas, someone else can become an unfortunate starving artist. As long as everyone goes with the flow of society via abiding by the laws and engaging in fair play, equality of opportunity is present and occurring, despite the obvious contrasting outcomes. Equality of opportunity seems to be the standard of equality that harmonizes with the American ideal best. In America, somewhere out there, is a filthy rich person and a dirt-poor individual who have never violated the law nor cheated the system. Both parties are offered the…

concepts, the reason why they are so challenged, is contested itself. This essay will identify the main factors that contribute in an extent to this result. In doing so, I will reference to the various dimensions and principles that form the core of egalitarianism, emphasizing on the aspects of equality of opportunity and outcome to present a coherent argument: dominant scholars…

Equality of opportunity within an economic system is realized when the barriers that obstruct an individual from fulfilling their economic and social potential are dismantled such that the fate of every member of society is determined exclusively by their decisions and preferences. Methods of achieving equality of opportunity target the discriminatory barriers, both legal and prejudicial obstructions, that impact arbitrary groups categorized along racial, class, and gender lines. Members of…

Our educational system has dramatically changed over the centuries. The values and goals that each school, its administrators and teachers are trying to achieve tend to change with each student as there are many outside circumstances that arise. This essay will discuss the different goals that the educational system is trying to meet to ensure that all students, regardless of their race, gender, social background, or religion are provided with the same opportunities to be successful in their…

Equality of opportunity is a political ideal that is mostly opposed to hierarchy. How individuals rank is society is based on a competitive process where all members in society are equal to compete, regardless of their background. According to this idea agents have the opportunities to reach a goal without being set back by any obstacle. An example of a statement of equality of opportunity is “All Irish students should have the chance to get a college degree without the hindrance of racial…

Question 3: In Gerald Cohen’s Why Not Socialism, he discusses three types of equality of opportunity: bourgeois equality of opportunity, left-liberal equality of opportunity, and socialist equality of opportunity. Bourgeois equality of opportunity advocates for removal of, “socially constructed status restrictions, both formal and informal, on life chances” (Cohen, 15). Cohen explains formal and informal restrictions using the examples of serfdom in feudal times and the impact of race on life…

The difference principle ensures that any inequality maximizes the state of everyone 's well being. If those in disadvantageous positions are to be benefited by any inequality, it is because they have acquired more resources than before. Thus, Rawls believes that inequality is justified when resources acquired by the well-off end up in the hands of the least well-off. This in itself is a form of redistribution which Rawls feels is necessary, as it is to the benefit of everyone. Rawls also…

The United States of America was founded upon Ideals for a better nation, ones that could uphold a new nation free from British tyranny. But has America truly followed the course of these ideals set forth by the founding fathers? In 1776, while writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson laid the groundwork for the five American Ideals: Democracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Equality. America has indeed followed the Ideals as the founders intended through the course of…

conventional view in arguing that rather than first observing violations of equal opportunity and then raising questions about the legitimacy of the level of inequality, Americans may observe the level of inequality and make the inference that opportunities are unequal. This suggests that Americans see highly disparate outcomes and make inferences about the availability of opportunity. In the following sections, I detail how this connection is important in predicting concern about income…

Schmidtz and Cohen stand at two almost diametrically opposed positions of equality. Schmidtz argues for an equality of treatment, while Cohen argues for an equality of opportunity. Schmidtz’s argument for equality of treatment implies that everyone should be treated the same, even if that treatment will result in others not being well off (Schmidtz 114). Cohen, on the other hand, argues that everyone should be treated the same in regards to improving society Cohen’s argument addresses three…