Of course one can do this. But then you get into the sticky issue of why should we group reparations based on race? Aren’t the Chatolic Irish entitled to reparations for their mistreatment as immigrant labour and discrimination against them based on their religion if the same is true of the Chinese? Aren’t Native Americans a bit more entitled to reparations than say Indian immigrants? Also why are African Americans descended from slaves not differenciated to those who have migrated to the US a generation ago (after the civil rights era)?
And how long should such reparations be payed? Indefinetly?
I hope that from the above you can see why there would need to be a new debate on affirmative action if one reframes it.
I don’t believe affirmative action is justified by ‘past wrongs’ - I used that as an example only because you mentioned it. (Personally, I believe it makes more sense to justify affirmative action as a device to offset present disadvantages.) I meant only to make the point that the statement ‘Affirmative action’s ethical status...depends on what the data has to about say about group differences’ is too broad, because there are justifications for affirmative action that do not hinge on the nature of IQ differences between blacks and whites.
I wrote affirmative action as it is currently framed. I consider that an important distinction. I never denied other frames where possible, I’m just saying the current support for affirmative action amongst groups that are harmed by it is loosly based on the notion that it is offseting unwaranted privilige (bias by employers in other words) of the majority.
I think we both agree that ‘what the data has to about say about group differences’ does not necessarily affect ‘Affirmative action’s ethical status’ in general—only if one justifies it on grounds that make assumptions about the nature of IQ differences between groups. That just wasn’t clear to me as of four days ago due to your phrasing.
Of course one can do this. But then you get into the sticky issue of why should we group reparations based on race? Aren’t the Chatolic Irish entitled to reparations for their mistreatment as immigrant labour and discrimination against them based on their religion if the same is true of the Chinese? Aren’t Native Americans a bit more entitled to reparations than say Indian immigrants? Also why are African Americans descended from slaves not differenciated to those who have migrated to the US a generation ago (after the civil rights era)?
And how long should such reparations be payed? Indefinetly?
I hope that from the above you can see why there would need to be a new debate on affirmative action if one reframes it.
I don’t believe affirmative action is justified by ‘past wrongs’ - I used that as an example only because you mentioned it. (Personally, I believe it makes more sense to justify affirmative action as a device to offset present disadvantages.) I meant only to make the point that the statement ‘Affirmative action’s ethical status...depends on what the data has to about say about group differences’ is too broad, because there are justifications for affirmative action that do not hinge on the nature of IQ differences between blacks and whites.
I wrote affirmative action as it is currently framed. I consider that an important distinction. I never denied other frames where possible, I’m just saying the current support for affirmative action amongst groups that are harmed by it is loosly based on the notion that it is offseting unwaranted privilige (bias by employers in other words) of the majority.
I think we both agree that ‘what the data has to about say about group differences’ does not necessarily affect ‘Affirmative action’s ethical status’ in general—only if one justifies it on grounds that make assumptions about the nature of IQ differences between groups. That just wasn’t clear to me as of four days ago due to your phrasing.