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Why Horizontal Inequalities are Important for a Shared Society

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Abstract

This article argues that low horizontal inequalities, or inequalities among groups, should form an intrinsic aspect of a shared society. It argues, on the basis of several philosophical analyses, that horizontal inequalities are not only unjust, but they also contribute to violent conflict and lack of social cohesion. Although low horizontal inequalities appear to be an implicit aspect of the shared society project it would be an advantage to include them explicitly, from the perspective of assessing and measuring progress.

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Notes

  1. Club de Madrid, http://www.thesharedsocietyproject.clubmadrid.org

  2. Intuitionists argue that moral principles are based on individual intuitions of what is right, and consequently not subject to considered reasoning – for example, (Moore, 1903).

  3. Locke and Kant could also, of course, be placed in the contractarian category.

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Authors
  1. Frances Stewart
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Critiques the concept of Shared Societies through the lenses of Horizontal Inequality

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Stewart, F. Why Horizontal Inequalities are Important for a Shared Society. Development 57, 46–54 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2014.30

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