American Public University Human Equality & Rights Questions Discussion

1) What is the meaning of human equality as articulated in the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that “all men are created equal”? Equal in what respects? Can any of last week’s philosophers assist you in unpacking this pivotal concept?

2) How far would you agree that all men were treated as equal in the sense the Founders intended in their own times? Choose and discuss one or two practical policy issues today (or in past decades) that show progress in this area has been made since the Declaration. And/or discuss one or two practical policy issues today that show that a disconnect between this ideal and reality is still present.

3) What does the Declaration of Independence mean by asserting that we possess rights that are not “alienable”? Who or what, precisely, cannot alienate our rights? Are all rights deemed inalienable, or only some? Why is it so important in liberal democracies that these rights are understood as inalienable? What historical or contemporary examples demonstrate the problems that occur if the state does not respect these inalienable rights?

4) If you were asked which theory of Constitutional interpretation you would use if you were deciding a Supreme Court case, which would you choose and why?