2,793 works, 150 years of economic thought. Each one summarized and searchable, with cited passages inside.
Who decides which differences between people should count? In this essay, republished in 1964, Alfred Schütz approaches equality through the classifications that organize everyday social life. His central distinction is between belonging to a group as its members understand it and being assigned to a category by outsiders. Racial legislation, segregation, and minority protection show how imposed classifications can make one characteristic govern a person’s entire social standing. Schütz also exposes a tension within equal opportunity: formal eligibility does not ensure that an opportunity is accessible or compatible with someone’s other commitments. The essay offers a precise way to examine why equal treatment can leave domination intact—and why preserving a group’s distinctive life may require more than removing discriminatory barriers.
Typifying consists in passing by what makes the individual unique and irreplaceable.