Overview

What do we mean when we refer to people as being equal by nature? In the first book devoted to human equality as a fact rather than as a social goal or a legal claim, John Coons and Patrick Brennan argue that even if people possess unequal talents or are born into unequal circumstances, all may still be equal if it is true that human nature provides them the same access to moral self-perfection. Plausibly, in the authors' view, such access stems from the power of individuals to achieve goodness simply by doing the best they can to discover and perform correct actions. If people enjoy the same degree of natural capacity to try, all of us are offered the same opportunities for moral self-fulfillment. To believe this is to believe in equality.


This truly interdisciplinary work not only proposes the authors' own rationale but also provides an effective deconstruction of several other contemporary theories of equality, while it engages historical, philosophical, and Christian accounts as well. Furthermore, by divorcing the "best" from the "brightest," it shows how descriptive equality acquires practical significance. Among other accomplishments, By Nature Equal offers communitarians a core principle that has until now eluded them, rescues human dignity from the hierarchy of intellect, identifies racism in a new way, and shows how justice can be freshly grounded in the conviction that every rational person has the same capacity for moral excellence.


ISBN-13

9780691059228

ISBN-10

0691059225

Weight

1.50 Pounds

Dimensions

6.14 x 0.88 x 9.21 In

List Price

$105.00

Edition

1st Edition

Format

Hardcover

Language

English

Pages

360 pages

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published On

1999-04-18



View All Offers

Sort by:

Rows per page:

1–5 of 5

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Goodwill Northern Illinois
★★★★★

Rockford, IL, USA

The cover shows wear with possible indentations creases and small tears. The pages show wear that ma...
$13.85

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026

Used, Very Good
Seller details
Goodwill of Silicon Valley
★★★★★

San Jose, CA, USA

Supports Goodwill of Silicon Valley job training programs. The cover and pages are in very good co...
$13.85

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026

Used, Very Good
Seller details
Book Dispensary
★★★★★

Niagara Falls, NY, USA

Book VERY GOOD hardcover in VERY GOOD dust jacket, no marks in text, tight binding, clean exterior;...
$25.49

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026

Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
$37.96

 Free delivery by: 01 Apr 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.