Race, equality, and the burdens of history / John Arthur.
| Author/creator |
Arthur, John, 1946-2007 |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2007. |
| Description | x, 330 pages ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Table of contents only |
| Supplemental Content | Contributor biographical information |
| Supplemental Content | Publisher description |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Introduction -- 1. Racism -- 1. Racism as a normative concept -- 2. What is racism? -- 3. Institutional racism as an interpretive concept -- 4. Racism and racial inferiority -- 5. Generalizations and stereotypes -- 6. Racial profiling -- 2. Race -- 1. Is it racist to believe in races? -- 2. The idea of social construction -- 3. Social construction and race -- 4. The reality of race -- 5. What race is Tiger Woods? -- 6. Conceptual neutrality? -- 3. Slavery -- 1. A brief history of slavery -- 2. What is slavery? -- 3. Slavery and racism -- 4. The philosophy of slavery -- 5. "All men are created equal" -- 4. Racial equality -- 1. The equal value of persons -- 2. Justice and equality -- 3. Segregation and racial contempt -- 4. Self-respect and self-esteem -- 5. Institutional racism and the United States Constitution -- 6. Is racism natural? -- 5. Poverty and race -- 1. Economic inequality and groups -- 2. Race and I.Q.: the repugnant hypothesis -- 3. Explaining African-American poverty -- 4. Educational achievement and culture -- 5. "Rumors of inferiority" -- 6. Pragmatism's insight -- 6. Compensatory justice: Restitution, reparations and apologies -- 1. Two forms of compensation: restitution and reparation -- 2. Restitution and slavery -- 3. Some puzzles about reparations -- 4. Who owes reparations? -- 5. Tracing the effects of ancient wrongs: the problem of the baseline -- 6. Apologies, guilt and remorse -- 7. Merit and race -- 1. What is merit? -- 2. Merit and institutional goals -- 3. How merit matters -- 4. The "myth" of merit? -- 5. When is race a qualification? -- 8. Affirmative Action and equal opportunity -- 1. Debating affirmative action -- 2. Is affirmative action self-defeating to blacks? -- 3. Successful lives -- 4. Equal opportunities -- 5. The way forward -- Bibliography -- Table of cases -- Index. |
| Abstract | This book philosophically addresses problems of past racial discrimination in the United States. John Arthur examines the concepts of race and racism and discusses racial equality, poverty and race, reparations and affirmative action, and merit in ways that cut across the usual political lines. A former civil-rights plaintiff and professor at an historically black college in the South, Arthur draws on both personal experience and rigorous philosophical training in this account. His nuanced conclusions about the meaning of merit, the defects of affirmative action, the importance of apology, and the need for true equality illuminate one of Americaâ�s most vexing problems and offer a way forward. His book is relevant to any society struggling with racial differences and past injustices. John Arthur died of cancer in January 2007, after completing this book. He was professor of philosophy and Director of the Program in Philosophy, Politics and Law at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He is the author of Words That Bind: Judicial Review and the Grounds of Modern Constitutional Theory, The Unfinished Constitution: Philosophy and Constitutional Practice, and Studying Philosophy: A Guide for the Perplexed. From 1979 until the time of his death, Professor Arthur was the editor of one of the most widely used ethics anthologies in the United States, Morality and Moral Controversies, soon to be published in its 8th edition. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (p. 302-317) and index. |
| LCCN | 2007000595 |
| ISBN | 9780521879378 (hardback) |
| ISBN | 052187937X (hardback) |
| ISBN | 9780521704953 (pbk.) |
| ISBN | 0521704952 (pbk.) |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Joyner | General Stacks | E 185.615 .A79 2007 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |