giving preferential treatment makes equal treatment unequal

What counts as a qualification for a position depends on the principle of Equal Consideration Interest.Īccording to the principle of Equal Consideration Interest, in some cases a person’s color or sex may count as qualification for a position. The Equal Opportunity says hiring or admissions decisions should be based solely on the applications qualifications. Here is Boxill’s argument broken down:Īffirmative action programs are ethically unacceptable only if they violate the Equal opportunity principle Boxill attempts to argue that preferential treatment is ethical in some cases even though preferential treatment contradicts the equal opportunity principle. Boxill also states that if someone is given a position based on qualifications alone it also may violate the equal opportunity principle, because others wanting that position may not have had the opportunity to gain the qualifications necessary for that position.

Boxill argues that preferential treatment violates the first part of the equal opportunity principle which I tend to agree with, because it makes it so minorities have more of an opportunity based on race or sex not qualifications.

The equal opportunity principle has two main parts the person who is most qualified for the position is the one who should receive that position, and that all people are able to acquire the qualifications for a desirable position equally. įirst I will look at the relation between the equal opportunity principle and preferential treatment. There are some scenarios in which the equal opportunity principle must be relaxed using the forward looking argument as an ethical justification for preferential treatment. Although both arguments may be flawed to an extent when the equal opportunity principle is taken into account. In my opinion the forward looking argument is a much more solid and reasonable justification for preferential treatment than the backward looking argument. The two main arguments Boxill uses to justify preferential treatment are the forward looking argument and the backward looking argument. After reading and analyzing the essay it is pretty clear that the equal opportunity principle and preferential treatment have some conflicting grey area of when it is or is not acceptable to use preferential treatment. In this argument essay entitled equality, discrimination, and preferential treatment Boxill takes an in depth look at the ethics behind preferential treatment and equal opportunity. Equality Discrimination and Preferential Treatment – Essay – Josh SnyderĮquality Discrimination and Preferential TreatmentĮquality, Discrimination, and Preferential Treatment

Giving preferential treatment makes equal treatment unequal