Survey article: Relational equality and distribution

In egalitarian thought it has become commonplace to draw a contrast between two different ways of conceptualising the value of equality. On one model, equality is conceived as an essentially distributive value and, in that sense, a matter of what pattern of distribution qualifies as an equal one. On an alternative model, equality is understood in terms of an ideal of society in which persons relate to one another as having the status of equals. In keeping with the terminology used to frame this contrast in several of the important contributions to this area I will refer to these ways of conceiving of the value of equality as distributive equality and relational equality views respectively.