Equality and Social Hierarchies

We consider each other as moral and political equals, and yet, hierarchies are ubiquitous in social life: from the workplace to family life, we are ‚above‘ or ‚below‘ someone else in many social contexts. As a philosophical problem, social hierarchies have garnered increasing systematic attention since Niko Kolodny’s comprehensive book ‚The Pecking Order‘ (Harvard University Press, 2023). With wit and precision, Kolodny argues that many of our political concerns are in fact driven by worries about inferiority. 

This workshop brings Kolodny’s perspective together with philosophers who work on relational egalitarianism and conceptual as well as applied issues in the context of social hierarchies. To register, please send an email to Luise Müller (luise.mueller@fu-berlin.de).