Was it Seneca who mocked this line of thinking? If I remember right he mocked it by saying either
1) a good man is a good man and thus equal to other good men
Or
2) you proceed through so many qualifications and “but what if this guy was prettier or had nicer tone of voice than the other good man all else equal” etc until you admit that you include minute details like the exact placement of every hair follicle on some dudes head in your proposed total ordering of humanity
1) a good man is a good man and thus equal to other good men
Or
2) you proceed through so many qualifications and “but what if this guy was prettier or had nicer tone of voice than the other good man all else equal” etc until you admit that you include minute details like the exact placement of every hair follicle on some dudes head in your proposed total ordering of humanity