The Empty Idea of Equality
The principle of equality - that likes should be treated alike - has been a fixture of Western thought for thousands of years. In this Article, Professor Westen argues that the endurance of the principle is due to the fact that it is empty of content. For the principle to have meaning, it must incor...
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| Veröffentlicht in: | Harvard law review 1982-01, Vol.95 (3), p.537-596 |
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| container_title | Harvard law review |
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| creator | Westen, Peter |
| description | The principle of equality - that likes should be treated alike - has been a fixture of Western thought for thousands of years. In this Article, Professor Westen argues that the endurance of the principle is due to the fact that it is empty of content. For the principle to have meaning, it must incorporate some external values that determine which persons and treatments are alike, but once these external values are found, the principle of equality is superfluous. Worse, equality tends to cause confusion and logical errors. Consequently, Professor Westen concludes, the rhetoric of equality should be abandoned. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.2307/1340593 |
| format | Article |
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| fulltext | fulltext |
| identifier | ISSN: 0017-811X |
| ispartof | Harvard law review, 1982-01, Vol.95 (3), p.537-596 |
| issn | 0017-811X |
| language | eng |
| recordid | cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_59215989 |
| source | Jstor Complete Legacy; PAIS Index; HeinOnline Law Journal Library; Business Source Complete; Periodicals Index Online |
| subjects | Civil rights Due process of law Equal protection Equal protection clause Equality Justice Karsts Liberty Moral principles Morality Rationality Respect Statutory law |
| title | The Empty Idea of Equality |
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