Affirmative action and the university : a philosophical inquiry /

Despite the American academy's lip service to affirmative action, there is currently "an uneasy truce in which those on both sides refrain from public debate while still whispering in corners that their adversaries are at best intellectually misguided and at worst morally insensitive." To revitalize the public debate, the first part of this book presents extended essays on the subject by three prominent social philosophers. In the second part, 22 philosophers respond to Part one, discussing such issues as the implicit assumption that affirmative action appointments are less qualified than those who are not; the tendency to value gender, racial, and ethnic diversity while discouraging diversity of thought; the interplay between diversity and academic performance; the moral justification of fair access versus violations of fairness to favor members of selected groups; preferential treatment versus meritocratic rights; persistent racism and sexism in the academy; stated versus unstated selection criteria for "equally qualified" candidates; and effects of preferential hiring on reasonable representation. This book is recommended for anyone interested in understanding, questioning, articulating, and acting on the basis of their own and others' perspectives on sexism, racism, and affirmative action in American higher education. Undergraduate level on up. P. S. Cookson; Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus