The principle that people should, in some respect, be treated or regarded as equals — a single word that conceals several rival ideas (equal worth, equality before the law, equality of opportunity, equality of outcome) that pull against one another, so that most political conflict is really a fight over which equality counts.
Almost everyone today says they believe in equality, and almost no one means the same thing by it. One person means that no group is born to rule another. A second means the same rules should apply to everyone. A third means a fair start in life. A fourth means closing the gap between rich and poor. These are not shades of one idea. They often collide. The fiercest fights in politics are not between people who favor equality and people who oppose it. They are between people who each believe in equality and mean something different by the word.