Law as a Weapon. Substantive Equality in the Legal and Philosophical Thought of Catharine MacKinnon

This paper presents some aspects of the legal and philosophical thought of the American jurist Catharine MacKinnon, with a particular focus on her negative anthropology and on the reclaiming power of rights. Specific attention will also be given to her view of equality, which refuses the formal logic of the Aristotelian formula (“treating likes alike and unlikes unalike”) in order to emphasise the substantive elements rooted in the social background. Finally, some critical remarks and conclusive reflections will be presented.