Exam 14: Racism, Equality, and Discrimination

Opponents of preferential hiring practices argue that the only standard for awarding jobs is

In many contexts, scholars find that students perform better in school when their credentials are closer to those of their classmates, whereas they have more trouble persisting in a difficult major, graduating from college, or getting a good job when they are surrounded by peers who have much higher credentials. This has been referred to as the mismatch effect. If we assume the mismatch effect is real, what would a utilitarian say this suggests about the use of strong affirmative action?

Lawrence Blum says that the two key concepts in the definition of racism are

________ refers to the advantages or benefits that whites enjoy simply because they are white.

A key argument for strong affirmative action is based on

The main point of a quota is to ensure that

Scientific racism refers to a school of thought that held that (1) humanity can indeed be divided into separate and distinct races, (2) race enables us to explain the most basic differences among people, and (3) some races are superior to others.

The consequentialist answer to the question "Why are racists wrong?" is likely to appeal to two fundamental moral principles: respect for persons and justice.

________ is the belief that some races are inferior in significant respects or otherwise deserving of dislike or hostility.

The view of many researchers and scholars is that races (in the biological sense) don't exist, but "racialized groups" do.

The unfavorable treatment of people because of their race is called

In his explanation of weak affirmative action, Louis P. Pojman argues, "There is no more moral requirement to guarantee that 12 percent of professors are Black than to guarantee that 85 percent of the players in the National Basketball Association are White." He is here trying to show that weak affirmative action aims for equal opportunity, not equal results.

Some argue that affirmative action policies are needed to make amends for past wrongs. This argument appeals to the concept of

Refusing to give a good worker a raise in pay just because he is black or Hispanic is an example of

In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that

Lawrence Blum insists that every instance of racial conflict, insensitivity, discomfort, miscommunication, exclusion, injustice, or ignorance should be called racist.

Some philosophers, known as race skeptics, believe that race has a physical scientific basis and argue that the concept of race should be the main focus of science.

Suppose there are two equally qualified candidates for a single position. The only difference between them is that one is white and the other is a person of color. The best decision according to weak affirmative action is to

Racism often involves ________; that is, racially biased opinions based on incomplete or erroneous information.

Currently, blacks and dark-skinned racial minorities lag well behind whites in virtually every area of social life; they are about three times more likely to be poor than whites, earn about 40 percent less than whites, and have about an eighth of the net worth that whites have.