Affirmative Action
Chapter 19
(Rajeev Bhargava| Political Theory)
POLITICAL SCIENCE
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Affirmative Action
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Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- DEFINING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
- AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN INDIA
- THE LIMITS OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
INTRODUCTION
- In everyday life, we encounter situations that compel us to engage with notions of fairness and often express complaints about injustice.
- Complaints about injustice implicitly reflect a conception of justice, though individuals may not always articulate these conceptions.
- Disagreements about fairness often arise when the focus or subject of justice is debatable, and there is no one correct response.
- Common contentious issues include: Should politicians' private lives be scrutinized? Should the state subsidize poor farmers? Should the state provide free primary education? Should the state grant employment opportunities to all adults? Should universities have quotas for certain groups?
- An example of a distributive justice dilemma is when two candidates, Tanya and Rekha, apply for a medical college.
- Tanya outperforms Rekha in an entrance exam, but Rekha comes from a Dalit background and has socio-economic disadvantages.
- The college has limited seats and must decide between them, considering both merit and social background.
- The dilemma asks how to ensure equal opportunity and fairness in deciding who gets admission.
- Merit-based arguments suggest Tanya should be admitted because of her higher rank in the entrance exam, reflecting her superior qualifications.
- The merit system in education and professions promotes efficiency and rewards excellence, ensuring the best individuals fill critical roles.
- A meritocratic system argues that professions, such as medicine, should be led by the most qualified individuals, ensuring optimal outcomes, like efficient treatment for patients.
- Denying Tanya a seat based on merit could be seen as injustice, as it goes against the principle of rewarding excellence.
- On the other hand, Rekha's lower performance may not only be due to bad luck, but also factors like limited opportunities and a disadvantaged background.
- A just society, according to some moral intuitions, must address inequality and disadvantage.
- One way to address Rekha's disadvantage is through a system that corrects these inequalities, helping her secure the medical seat despite her lower rank.
- The moral argument suggests that society cannot be just if it fails to address the structural inequalities that affect people like Rekha.