When Someone Says That One State of Affairs Is Better

When someone says that one state of affairs is better than another, "other things being equal," what does the phrase "other things being equal" mean?

A) That the two states of affairs do not involve different actions, although they might involve different people.
B) That other people might regard the two states of affairs as being equally good.
C) That the two states of affairs are identical in terms of descriptive facts, although one is better than the other.
D) That the two states of affairs are the same in terms of descriptive facts, except in the ways explicitly mentioned in describing them.