Isabelle's view: Equality

The spotlight has just fallen on Qatar, the much-criticized host of the Football World Cup, because of its relative lack of respect for human rights. In fact, Qatar is sitting on a concept central to any democratic society: equality.

Two plus two equals four: in mathematics, equality is unambiguous. It expresses the fact that two terms have exactly the same value. But how can we understand this concept in a human society where the «terms» are living beings of great complexity? Two main lines of thought emerge: equality as the «foundation» of society, or equality as the «end goal.».

Equality as the «foundation» of a democratic society rests on a strong premise: human beings are moral beings, and from a moral standpoint, they all have the same «value.» This equality as moral beings is the foundation upon which c