Equal Opportunity in an Unequal Society

Many share the view that even though gross inequalities of wealth are something to worry about, it makes a difference whether or not they are accompanied by substantive equality of opportunity. If people or their children are able to climb up and down the economic hierarchy, inequality is no longer deemed so objectionable. In this chapter I examine the soundness of this common view. I argue that against the backdrop of acute economic inequality, equal opportunity and mobility might be less morally significant than we often assume.