POLI 232 Chapter : Bernard Williams (word doc).doc

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 232
• Professor: Catherine Lu

Document Summary

Bernard williams"s paper discusses the idea of equality. He explains that this idea is in- cluded in the political discussion under two forms: Statements of political principles or aims: men should be equal. Men are in fact equal but they are not treated equally. According to williams, the idea of equality of men as generally perceived is false and naive since men are not equal in their abilities and skills. They are however equal by the fact that they are men. --> how are men alike: common equality. : the fact that men are equal just because they"re men despite their differences is not trivial but insufficient. There are other common things such as the ca- pacity to express feelings and emotions that we should take into account. However, these characteristics and moral claims can be neglected by ruling groups in certain societies because the group might be distinguished based on other characteris- tics than feelings/emotions. --> different treatment.