Equality or priority

Abstract

Parfit distinguishes two kinds of egalitarianism—Telic Egalitarianism, which holds that inequality is intrinsically bad, and Deontic Egalitarianism, which holds that inequality is unjust—and argues that Telic Egalitarianism is fatally undermined by the Levelling Down Objection: if equality is intrinsically valuable, then a world in which everyone is equally badly off would be in one respect better than one in which some are better off and others worse off, a conclusion most find unacceptable. Parfit then introduces the Priority View (prioritarianism), which holds that benefiting people matters more the worse off they are, not because inequality is bad, but because of the diminishing moral importance of benefits as people become better off. The Priority View captures much of the intuitive appeal of egalitarianism while avoiding the Levelling Down Objection.