A634.4.4.RB - Is Affirmative Action Ethical?

A634.4.4.RB - Is Affirmative Action Ethical?

Is affirmative action ethical? At the root of this question it is admission that some groups are still not being treated equal socially, economically, or within the confines of the law. Affirmative action as it stands is a controversial issue and with recently developing political events will again find an audience. According to chapter six on affirmative action, “these morally relevant differences show why this objection is not telling, why it is a mistake to say that blacks receive affirmative action simply because of their race” (LaFollette, 2007). This course is based on the teachings of ethics and critical thinking, but the topics of race and equal (or what is thought of as equal) treatment are very emotional. Depending on the background and experiences of the person being asked would be the answer.

In 2005, U.C.L.A. Law school professor, Richard H. Sander, stated that “a student who gains special admission to a more elite school on partly nonacademic grounds is likely to struggle more” and contended that “if the struggling leads to lower grades and less learning, then a variety of bad outcomes may result: higher attrition rates, lower pass rates on the bar, problems in the job market.” (Sander, 2004) I agree wholeheartedly. Why would a top notch school such as UCLA allow students to enter their program who are not qualified? The color of the skin or gender does not make them qualified.

(LaFollette, 2007) defines consequentialism as the moral obligation to act in ways that produce the best consequences. Consequentialism and affirmative action is the son paying for the sins of the father. Affirmative Action came during a time that was ugly, full of racial tension and very hostile. It came to us as a peaceful way to see that all people, and at that time blacks in particular, would receive the same benefits in jobs, education and simple acknowledgement as that of whites. This is socially ethical treatment of individuals who had for centuries oftentimes had been thought of as less than human.

Ethical behavior, which is simply finding the balance between self-interest and group responsibility, is largely, but not entirely, learned behavior standing in opposition to an instinct. (Tiatorio, 1999) Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, & Meyer, 2010)

Works Cited

LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden: Blackwell publishing.

Sander, R. H. (2004, November). A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN AMERICAN LAW SCHOOLS. Retrieved from A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN AMERICAN LAW SCHOOLS: http://www2.law.ucla.edu/sander/Systemic/final/SanderFINAL.pdf

Tiatorio, A. (1999). What is Ethics? Ethics In Education (Teaching Ethics).

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., & Meyer, M. J. (2010). What is Ethics? Retrieved from Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/