Respond to the prompt below. 

PROMPT = There is no right or wrong way to approach this essay topic, and you have substantial freedom to develop your own specific thesis and interpretive framework.  One way to approach the topic would be to focus on one thinker, and examine how the views of that core thinker are supported or challenged by the other thinkers you choose to consider. Regardless of how you choose to develop your response, you should write a well-organized essay developed from a cohesive thesis statement. Be sure to cite directly relevant thinkers from our course as appropriate to build your discussion.

The concept of equality is central to most (if not all) conceptions of modern liberalism. What is equality and what is its relationship to modern liberalism? Consider the treatments of equality advanced by Marx and/or Tocqueville and at least one other thinker we have considered in our course. (In other words, you must consider at least three thinkers, and at least one of those thinkers must be Marx or Tocqueville). Your essay in response to this broad question should do at least the following:

Offer a thesis statement that clearly articulates your understanding of equality and its importance to contemporary liberal democratic society, which is elaborated clearly, comprehensively, and with direct citation of relevant thinkers from the course throughout the essay.

Identify and summarize the key features of contemporary liberalism as articulated by relevant thinkers from our course (remember that you should examine at least three of these thinkers, and at least one of the thinkers considered should be Tocqueville or Marx), in a way that supports the position concerning equality that you advance. Consider that one of the key tenets of liberalism is its emphasis on the individual, or “that being who, because he is human, is naturally entitled to ‘rights’ that can be enumerated, rights that are attributed to him independently of his function or place in society and that make him the equal of any other man” (Manent, 1995).

Offer an assessment of the nature of equality and modern liberalism as you have explored it in the context of contemporary (e.g. 2020-2022) politics in the US or within a country of your choice. What would the thinkers whose work you consider assess the nature of the relationship between the individual and contemporary society? This evaluation must be supported with reference to at least one authoritative source documenting contemporary politics