The concept of equality in Benjamin Constant's political thought

The basic aim of the following thesis is to explore the importance of equality in the political thought of Benjamin Constant, as also its impact on the way with which basic problems have been approached in interpretations of secondary literature. The basic claim of the thesis is that equality as a key concept in his political thought allows the emergence of liberty and sustains it. However, as I further argue, equality is also dependent on liberty, because the latter in the form of political participation promotes equality. Thus, this relationship is characterized not just by compatibility, but by interdependence. In the introductory chapter, I analyse the views of scholars regarding the topics which will be explored under the aspect of equality. In the first chapter it is examined how Constant approaches the notion of equality in his historical essays. He identifies equality as the driving force of progress rooted primarily as a natural desire and associated with a denial to recognise that someone else is entitled to possess greater power than others. I also analyse his approach on the example of universal suffrage as characteristic of his distinction between justified and unjustified ways of pursuing equality. His account, despite the initial rejection of this measure, is consistent with his narrative on progress. In the second chapter, I explore how this distinction is also applicable in his doctrine of legitimacy. Constant endorses government of opinion instead of popular sovereignty because the public can pursue the implementation of a conception of equality, which allows the emergence of liberty. In the final chapter, I explore his distinction between the two types of liberty through the lens of equality. I argue that he endorses their combination because political participation through certain means prevents the emergence of institutional inequality and promotes equalisation.