The Rule of Equality of Opportunity in Social Justice

Equal opportunities encompass several aspects: providing an equal starting point for individuals, ensuring opportunities for survival and development, and facilitating the realization of these opportunities. It involves acknowledging and respecting people’s potential and allowing for “unequal” opportunities based on individual differences. In its modern context, the principle of equality of opportunity contrasts with the notion of absolute equal opportunity linked with egalitarianism. The former underscores individual distinctions and the fostering of personal potential, while the latter prioritizes uniformity among all members of society. Equality of opportunity advocates for individuals to have the freedom to select from available opportunities, whereas absolute equal opportunity advocates for uniform opportunity distribution across society. The former is feasible in practice, whereas the latter is not. Since opportunities have different meanings for people at different levels, equal opportunities can be divided into two types: shared equal opportunities (or shared opportunities) and differentiated equal opportunities (or differentiated opportunities).