Philosophy Final

What are preferential affirmative action (PAA) policies?

A hiring/admissions policy that “bumps up” members of some group (relative to blind) for reasons orthogonal to expected performance.

What’s the Standard Diversity Argument for PAA being obligatory?

P1. PAA for [group x] leads to better outcomes in some cases.

P2. If a policy leads to better outcomes were obligated to adopt it.

C. Were obligated to employ PAA for [group x] in some cases.

What’s Boonin’s criticism of the Standard Diversity Argument for PAA being obligatory?

Boonin rejects P2 and argues that it is permissible but not obligatory.

What is Boonin’s Geographic Diversity Argument for PAA being permissible, but not obligatory?

P1. Geographic preference is permissible but not obligatory.

P2. If geographic preference is permissible but not obligatory, then [x = racial] preference is permissible but not obligatory.

C. Racial preference is permissible but not obligatory.

What is Thomson’s Equal Ownership Principle?

Every equal owner of an institution has a right to an equal share in or chance at any benefit that institution generates, unless some overriding factor applies.

What kinds of overrides bear on the Equal Ownership Principle?

Override 1. Unless doing so would lead to disaster/not doing so would lead to great benefits.

Override 2. Unless not doing so is required to pay a debt (i.e., gratitude, injury, etc.)

What does the Equal Ownership Principle suggest about PAA at private and public institutions?

Private institutions can employ whichever PAA they want or not employ any.

Pubic institutions can’t employ any PAA, unless some overriding factor applies.

How might one use the Equal Ownership Principle to argue for PAA at public institutions for veterans?

Public institutions owe veterans a debt of gratitude, which fits into override #2.

What is Locke’s Compensation Principle?

If X (1) harms Y, and (2) wrongs Y, then X owes Y compensation.

What is the Compensation Argument for reparations?

P1. The Compensation Principle.

P2. The U.S. Govt wrongly harmed past African Americans.

P3. By wrongly harming past African Americans, the U.S. Govt has wrongly harmed current African Americans.

C. The U.S. Govt owes compensation to current African Americans.

What are Boxhill’s worries for this Compensation argument for African American reparations?

Worry 1 for P3. Were current African Americans wronged by the U.S. Govt?

Worry 2 for P3. It’s tricky to establish the counterfactual harm.

What is Locke’s Inheritance Principle?

If X owes A to Y, and Y dies, X owes A to Y’s heirs.

What is the Inheritance Argument for reparations?

P1. The Compensation Principle.

P2. The U.S. Govt wrongly harmed African Americans.

P3. The Inheritance Principle

C. The U.S. Govt owes compensation to the heirs of past African Americans.

How does this argument deal with some popular objections to African American reparations?

Objection #1. Africans who have come fresh off the boat with no ancestry in America.

Objection #2. “It’s wrong to pay people just because they’re a certain race. (Race is irrelevant), An example: white kids who were adopted by former slaves would receive reparations.

What is Evaluative Affirmative Action?

A hiring/admissions policy that “bumps up” members of some group to better assess expected performance.

What is Implicit Bias? What are these effects like?

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding and actions subconsciously. The effects include being more likely to hire someone named John with the same credentials as Jane, or John over Deshawn.

What are stereotype threats, stereotype boosts, and stereotype lifts?

Stereotype Threats: Decrease performance by making negative stereotypes about the subject salient.

Stereotype Boosts: Increase performance by making positive stereotypes salient.

Stereotype lifts: Increase performance by making negative stereotypes about other groups salient.

What is the Bias-Compensation Argument?

P1. The Merit Principle: You should hire/admit the people with the highest expected performance.

P2. If P1 is true, then given implicit bias/stereotype effects, we should employ EAA.

C. We should employ EAA (Evaluative Affirmative Action).

What is the Merit Argument against taking group membership into account (for a given group and position)?

The Merit Argument: (for group X, position Y)

P1. The Merit Principle: The person with the highest expected performance should get the position.

P2. X membership is irrelevant to expected performance with respect to position Y.

P3. X membership is irrelevant to assessing expected performance with respect to Y.

C. X membership should be ignored in determining who gets position Y.

For what kinds of groups and positions are P2 and P3 of the Merit Argument plausible?

Ex 1. X = having blue eyes, Y = position: office job (satisfies P2 & 3)

Ex 2. X = having blue eyes, Y = playing Paul Newman (dissatisfies P2)

Ex 3. X = Being from the U.K., Y = a spot in a PHD program (only satisfies P2)

Ex 4. X = likeable people, Y = office job (unclear on P2)

Ex 5. X = being a woman, Y = male-dominated office job (dissatisfies P2)

What are Sher’s arguments for the Merit Principle? (And what worries might one have with these arguments?)

Arg 1. Violating the Merit Principle treats people interchangeably

Worry 1. Following the Merit Principle also treats people interchangeably.

Worry 2. Violating the Merit Principle needn’t treat people interchangeably.

Arg 2. We shouldn’t make decisions based on things we don’t have control over.

Counter EX: NBA, Superman.

What worries might one have about the Merit Principle?

Worry 1. You are forbidden from hiring your cousin, Tony, in your bake shop.

Worry 2. It forbids PAA for veterans.

What does Thomson take to be the implicit argument from “a fetus has a full right to life” to the conclusion “abortion is impermissible”?

P1. A fetus has a right to life (which is violated if it’s aborted).

P2. A woman has a right to bodily autonomy (which is violated if their denied abortions).

P3. The right to life outweighs the right to bodily autonomy.

C. Women should be denied abortions.

What is Thomsons criticism of the Implicit Argument?

Thompson rejects P3 and uses the argument of the Violinist: You are kidnapped by music students and wake up in a hospital connected to a famous violinist who needs kidney fluid to live(which you now supply him with), you would need to be in the hospital bed for 9 months before he is ok to leave, if you leave before then, he will die. Thompson says that it’s morally permissible to leave, thus bodily autonomy trumps the right to life.

What are some of Thomson’s arguments by analogy for the claim that it’s permissible for a woman to have an abortion if she’ll die if she carries the fetus to term?

Analogy: A baby seed lands in your house, but this baby grows and grows to the point where it will be so big it will crush you to death. Would it be morally permissible to kill the baby to prevent you from dying? Thompson argues that it is. With the violinist, you will die after 9 months due to not having enough kidney matter, since you gave most of it to the violinist. Would it then be morally permissible to unplug yourself? Yes.

What is Thomsons argument by analogy for the claim that it’s permissible for a woman to have an abortion if she’s pregnant due to rape?

The analogy is the violinist, where you are kidnapped, since kidnapping you are forced against your will, like in the case of rape. It would be morally permissible to unplug yourself.

What are some of Thomson’s arguments by analogy for the claim that it’s permissible for a woman to have an abortion if she’s pregnant due to consensual sex?

Thompson uses the analogy of if you opened your window and a burglar came in, and expected you to take care of him, that it would be morally permissible for you to kick him out.

The people seed, where your window was open, and a seed came onto the carpet, which in 9 months will be a baby, if it’s permissible for you to sweep it up.

The violinist case, but before you went out in public, there was a warning of kidnapping sent out to people of your blood type.

What does consent have to be like to be morally relevant?

Consent has to be Informed, Competent, and Uncoerced (I.C.U.)

What are some different notions of consent (or “consent”), and what does each correspond to?

Explicit Consent": Agree + state agreement

Implicit Consent: Agree + don’t state agreement

Implied Consent: Behave in ways that, according to well-known social norms, suggest agreement.

What’s the Consent Argument against abortion (in cases of pregnancy due to consensual sex)?

The Consent Argument

P1. If a woman has consensual sex, she consents to carry the fetus to term if she gets pregnant.

P2. If a woman consents to carrying a fetus to term, she is obligated to do so.

C. If a woman has consensual sex, she is obligated to carry the fetus to term if she gets pregnant.

What worries might one raise for the Consent Argument?

For P1, there is no explicit consent or implicit consent to carrying a fetus; it is also unclear whether there is implied consent to carry a fetus.

For P2, it is unclear if there is explicit and implicit consent; it is also false that there is implied consent.

The Consent Argument is valid, but not sound.

What’s the Negligence Argument against abortion (in cases of pregnancy due to consensual sex)?

The Negligence Argument

P1. If you get pregnant due to consensual sex, you’re (partially) causally responsible for the fetus being dependent on you.

P2. To the extent to which you’re causally responsible for the fetus being dependent on you, you’re morally responsible for helping them out.

C. If you get pregnant due to consensual sex, you’re (partially) morally responsible for helping the fetus.

According to Feinberg, what kinds of situations make you morally responsible enough to be obligated to carry a fetus to term?

To Feinberg, assuming you had consensual sex:

A manufacturer’s defect with contraception: You are not morally responsible.

Contraception and an advertised failure rate: It is unclear if your morally responsible.

No contraception and you intended to get pregnant: You are morally responsible.

What worries does Boonin raise for the Negligence Argument?

Boonin argues that P1 is ok, but P2 is false.

He suggests that P2 → P2* “being dependent on you” → “being worse off”.

He suggests that P1 → P1* “being dependent on you” → “being worse off”

P2* is ok, but P1* is false. Therefore, the Negligence argument isn’t sound.

What is the argument for child support?

P1. Parents are obligated to make reasonable sacrifices for the well-being of their (rights-holding) offspring (larger than for a stranger).

P2. A child is a (rights-holding) offspring of a parent.

P3. Paying 18 years of child support is a reasonable sacrifice.

C. Parents are obligated to pay child support.

What is the argument for fetus support?

P1*. Parents are obligated to make reasonable sacrifices for the well-being of their (rights-holding) offspring (larger than for a stranger).

P2*. A fetus is a (rights-holding) offspring of a parent.

P3*. Carrying a fetus to term is a reasonable sacrifice.

C*. Women are obligated to carry the fetus to term.

What are the different options for responding to the Argument for Child and Fetus support? (And what are some of the pros and cons of each?)

Option 1. (Feinberg): Accept all premises except P2*. Requires giving up Thomson’s argument.

Option 2. (Boonin): Accept all but P3*. Ex: Financial tax vs body tax. → This requires spelling out a principled distinction between body taxes and financial/labor taxes.

Option 3. (Thomson): Accept all but P1/P1*. Thomson’s Parental Consent Principle: Parents have no special obligation to their children that they don’t adopt voluntarily. Not okay to do anything to your baby. In the Father Never Wanted case, the father isn’t required to pay child support. Ex: Adopted vs Biological children.

Option 4. Accept all P’s. → Should there be a rape exception?