Gerard Endenburg on equivalence in sociocracy

Why is equivalence so important in sociocracy?

I went back to Gerard Endenburg’s book Sociocracy: As social design and found the following:

1) “The axiomatic starting point of the method is mutual equivalence.” (p. 11)

2) “The issue … is not one of mutual equality but about putting into practice equivalence … of individuals, as a norm rather than as a fact.” (p. 17)

To summarize, in sociocracy

1) equivalence is an axiom, which means equivalence is considered to be so evident and well-established that it is accepted without controversy or question.

2) equivalence is a norm rather than a fact, which means that equivalence is a target value.

Related post:
François Knuchel on equivalence in sociocracy