Racial Bias and Segregation

Daniel Kelly and Erica Redder - Implicit Racial Bias

• Daniel Kelly:
  • Philosopher at Purdue University. PhD from Rutgers in 2007.
  • Research: Philosophy of mind, cognitive science, moral theory.
• Erica Redder:
  • PhD from NYU, postdoctoral fellow at Occidental College.
  • Specializations: Feminist philosophy, biomedical ethics, philosophy of psychology.

Implicit Racial Bias

• Definition: Negative associations people make with other races, often without awareness or endorsement.
• People may hold implicit biases despite sincerely professing tolerant or anti-racist views.
• Reported views on race are not a reliable indicator of implicit bias.
• Tested using the Implicit Association Test (IAT).

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

• Measures implicit biases by asking subjects to group racial groups with "good" and "bad" terms under timed conditions.
• Faster, more accurate performance when grouping "good" items with "white" names may indicate an automatic preference for white people.

Real-World Relevance of Implicit Biases

• Bias in Hiring Practices: Resumes with traditionally black-sounding names receive 50% fewer callbacks.
  • Highly qualified white applicants receive 30% more callbacks than less qualified counterparts.
  • Little difference in callbacks between highly and less qualified black resumes.
  • Occurs even in explicitly equal opportunity employers.
• Weapon Bias/Shooter Bias: People shown a black face are more likely to misidentify a harmless object as a gun.
  • Law enforcement officers making split-second decisions may mistakenly perceive a person of color as a threat and shoot them.

Ethical Implications

• Question: Are implicit biases morally problematic? (Even without ill intent)
• Implicit biases have serious negative consequences leading to harmful and unfair behaviors.
• If implicit bias leads to the shooting of an innocent person of color, it is "bad" due to those harms.
• Key ethical question: To what extent should someone be held morally blameworthy for actions stemming from implicit biases?
  • Difficulty lies in intention; reluctance to blame someone unaware of their biases.
• Kelly and Redder suggest that if implicit biases oppose benevolence or justice, there may be grounds for holding someone responsible.

Responding to Implicit Biases

• Acknowledge that they exist and change actions accordingly.
  • Analogy: Like accounting for optical illusions.
• Practical steps to counteract bias:
  • Anonymize resumes or grading to remove knowledge of race or gender.
  • Grade anonymously to avoid bias related to student participation or attendance.
• Moral accountability may lie in how one responds to the existence of implicit associations and changes behavior accordingly.

Elizabeth Anderson - Racial Segregation

• Philosophy professor at the University of Michigan, PhD from Harvard.
• Research: Ethics, moral psychology, political philosophy.
• Anderson argues for putting integration back on the public agenda.
  • Counterarguments: Some claim current segregation is voluntary.
  • Others express disillusionment with integration and defend self-segregation.

Stages of Integration

• Formal Desegregation: Absence of laws permitting segregation (largely achieved in the US).
• Spatial Integration: Members of different races living in the same areas.
• Formal Social Integration: Full cooperation in institutionally defined social roles (e.g., workplace, military, classrooms), with all races occupying all roles in sufficient numbers.
• Informal Social Integration: Cooperation, welcome, trust, and affiliation beyond organizational roles (e.g., friendships, dating, marriage, adoption).
• Stages are ranked in order of difficulty.

Harms of Segregation

• Harms dignity of those segregated.
• Leads to racial aversion, ideas of racial superiority, stigmatization, or fear.
• Integration increases respect and readiness to welcome others as equal partners.
• Increased integration can help reduce implicit racial bias through familiarity and diverse representation.

Socioeconomic Opportunity

• Spatial mismatch of residences and jobs leads to high unemployment and commuting costs.
• White flight leads to housing depreciation and unwillingness of businesses to open in those neighborhoods.
• Social segregation limits networking and economic opportunities, hindering hiring and promotion.

Undermines Democracy

• Citizens need to share experiences and concerns and work out common problems.
• Gerrymandering segregates individuals, impacting the ability to govern democratically.