egalitarian

Egalitarian is an umbrella term for political and moral philosophies that prioritize equality, especially equal moral worth and equal political rights. In practice, egalitarianism seeks to reduce arbitrarily born advantages and to create fair opportunities or fair outcomes for individuals, depending on the variant.

At the core is the claim that persons have equal intrinsic worth and should be treated with equal respect under the law, with equal political standing such as one person, one vote. Variants differ on whether equality should be achieved through opportunities, resources, or outcomes.

Major strands include liberal egalitarianism, which emphasizes equal basic liberties and a fair distribution of opportunities; thinkers such as John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin have shaped this view. Others advocate equality of resources or capabilities, such as Dworkin (resources) and Sen and Nussbaum (capabilities).

Historical development: Egalitarian ideas appear in Enlightenment thought and abolitionist movements; they were central to the rise of democracies, civil rights movements, and welfare-state policies in the 20th century. In contemporary political discourse, egalitarianism informs debates over taxation, education access, and social welfare.

Criticism centers on potential tensions with incentives, individual responsibility, or efficiency, and on practical difficulties in defining and implementing fair distributions across societies. See also concepts such as equal rights, social justice, and liberalism.