Though the thrust of the work is aimed toward addressing sex differences, much of the work is broad in nature and addresses the sameness of peoples on many levels.
Beginning with the common philosophical views on sex difference, one sees two standard positions. The hierarchical position espoused by Aristotle, Kant, and many others all saw women as inferior types of men. Whereas the anti-hierarchical position takes the view that women are as good as men and not different at all. Both positions see women as a type of man, varying only in degree of inferiority/superiority, but not really different.
There are situations however where one needs to acknowledge and even "stress" the point that people differ. On certain levels all people have the same rights, that "decency is best served by remembering that these are beings as conscious and valuable as ourselves, sharing our vulnerabilities and sensibilities."(119B).
Though on many levels people must be estimated to have exactly the same and equal rights, there are specific instances relating to one's particular personhood that requires looking at matters relating to natural sex differences. The trend has been to address equality, but not difference. A standpoint where there is no acceptance of the idea of equal but different. Midgley stresses that things can be equal and different. "Different does not mean worse or better, it means different. And in fact the greater the difference is, the less easy it does become to dismiss one of the differing parties as a mere inadequate version of the other.".
She views difference as crucial. She therefore refutes standardization and labels the practice as "the failure to value a difference."(122A). She sees that there are gains to be had from embracing difference. " The position is more like the interaction between two separate cultures- or indeed two individuals- where we can indeed gain a great deal from the other, but will always retain its own distinct identity.
