Affirmative action and discrimination

Question 1

Discrimination

Answer 1

Treating people worse than others because of their membership of a socially salient group

Question 2

Types of discrimination

Answer 2

1. Direct discrimination
   - Direct cognitive: discrimination occurs when the discrimination is motivated by conscious beliefs.
   - Direct non-cognitive: relatively unconscious and automatic features of prejudiced judgements and behavior
2. Indirect discrimination: can occur without a justified purpose

Question 3

Discrimination argument

Answer 3

• M: the state should prevent wrongful discrimination and compensate its victims when it occurs
• E: affirmative action prevents wrongful discrimination and compensates the victims when it occurs.
• C: the state should allow or require the use of affirmative action

Question 4

Compensation and prevention

Answer 4

1. Compensation
   - Historical injustice: affirmative action can be justifiable because it compensates for example the historical discrimination that deprived them of education and employment opportunities.
   - Past victims/present recipients
   - Continious harms/present consequences
2. Prevention
   - ongoing (direct & indirect) discrimination

Affirmative action compensates for discrimination. The other appeals to the idea that these policies prevent further discrimination

Question 5

The diversity and inclusion argument

Answer 5

• M: the state should improve diversity and social integration in various contexts, including education, employment, and politics.
• E: affirmative action improves diversity and social integration.
• C: the state should allow or require the use of affirmative action.

Question 6

Affirmative action as wrongful distribution argument

Meritocracy objection

Answer 6

• M: goods (education, employment, political office) should be awarded to the best candidate (principle of meritocracy)
• E: affirmative action do not award goods to the best candidate (but based on race/gender)
• C: affirmative action constitutes wrongful distribution.

Question 7

Two objections against affirmative action

Answer 7

1. The off-target objection: affirmative action is ineffective because it misses the target, in the sense that it tends to advantage those who face comparatively little discrimination while failing to assist those who fare worse in this regard.*
   *2. The stigma objection: refers to the concern that affirmative action policies may inadvertently reinforce negative stereotypes or stigmatize the individuals they are intended to help.
   - External stigma: affirmative action might strengthen the disposition to see others as members of a socially salient group and to regard and treat them differently on the basis.
   - Intern stigma: Beneficiaries of these policies may be unsure of the grounds of their accomplishments. They may feel that affirmative action belittles them along with their achievements.

*Fail: the implication of this isn’t that the state should prohibit the use of affirmative action. Rather, what this suggests is that the state needs to support its more extensive use to increase the likelihood that affirmative action targets the appropriate beneficiaries.

*Fail: the fact that affirmative action misses some of its targets isn’t enough to condemn its use.

Question 8

Stigma objection argument

Answer 8

• M: it’s wrong to cause internal or external stigma to members of socially salient groups
• E: affirmative action causes internal and external stigma to members of socially salient groups
• C: the state should prohibit the use of affirmative action