The Pursuit of Equality

All men are created equal,” it says in the Declaration of Independence, and it says this is a “truth” that is “self-evident.” Really? Ever since, we’ve been arguing about the meaning and promise of this recognition of equality. Eighty-seven years after 1776, on a blood-soaked battlefield, Lincoln proclaimed us a nation “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” What do we mean by this today, after the passage of another 161 years? What is the equality we are affirming and pursuing? We’ll look at some texts and some numbers and talk among ourselves.

All materials will be available via the internet and listed on a course website.

Doug Bennett, who holds a BA from Haverford and a PhD from Yale, is President Emeritus of Earlham College. At several U.S. colleges and universities, he has taught courses in public policy and political philosophy.