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A large majority of Americans believe that everyone should have an "equal opportunity" to succeed. It turns out, however, that the phrase "equal opportunity" has many different meanings --one for every major political point of view-- and that may be why everyone can agree to use it. How would you define "equal opportunity"? How would you decide whether two people (or two groups of people) have "equal opportunities" in our society (or in some other society)? Do you think people have a right to equal opportunity? Why or why not?

Consider the following possible definitions of equal opportunity, most of which are suggested by Alan Goldman:

• People have equal opportunity when there are no formal (i.e., legal) barriers keeping them out of occupations, schools, etc.
• People have equal opportunity when they are judged entirely by their competence.
• People have equal opportunity when they are given the schooling and resources required to develop and use their natural abilities.
• People have equal opportunity when they have about the same statistical chance of occupying any given position in society. (Perhaps positions are distributed in a lottery.)