Speaking of Equality

An Analysis of the Rhetorical Force of 'Equality' in Moral and Legal Discourse

af P. Westen

Aristotle noted that "equality" is the plea not of those who are satisfied but of those who seek change, and the word has long been invoked in the name of social reform. It retains its force because arguments for equality put arguments for inequality on the defensive. But why is "equality" laudatory and "inequality" pejorative? In this first book-l