Race, equality, and the burdens of history / John Arthur.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 302-317) and index.

Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1 Racism -- Racism as a normative concept -- What is racism? -- Institutional racism as an interpretive concept -- Racism and racial inferiority -- Generalizations and stereotypes -- Racial profiling -- 2 Race -- Is it racist to believe in races? -- The idea of social construction -- Social construction and race -- The reality of race -- What race is Tiger Woods? -- Conceptual neutrality? -- 3 Slavery -- A brief history of slavery -- What is slavery? -- Slavery and racism -- The philosophy of slavery -- "All men are created equal" -- 4 Racial Equality -- The equal value of persons -- Justice and equality -- Segregation and racial contempt -- Self-respect and self-esteem -- Institutional racism and the United States Constitution -- Is racism natural? -- 5 Poverty and Race -- Economic inequality and groups -- Race and I.Q.: The repugnant hypothesis -- Explaining African-American poverty -- Educational achievement and culture -- "Rumors of inferiority" -- Pragmatism's insight -- 6 Compensatory Justice: Restitution, Reparations, and Apologies -- Two forms of compensation: Restitution and reparation -- Restitution and slavery -- Some puzzles about reparations -- Who owes reparations? -- Tracing the effects of ancient wrongs: The problem of the baseline -- Apologies, guilt, and remorse -- 7 Merit and Race -- What is merit? -- Merit and institutional goals -- How merit matters -- The "myth" of merit? -- When is race a qualification? -- 8 Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity -- Debating affirmative action -- Is affirmative action self-defeating to blacks? -- Successful lives -- Equal opportunities -- The way forward -- Bibliography -- Table of Cases -- Index -- Last Page.

Print version record.

John Arthur philosophically addresses the problems of racism and the legacy of past racial discrimination in the United States. Offering a thorough analysis of the concepts of race and racism, Arthur also discusses racial equality, poverty and race, reparations and affirmative action, and merit in ways that cut across the usual political lines. A philosopher, former civil-rights plaintiff and professor at an historically black college in the South, Arthur draws on both his personal experiences as well as his rigorous philosophical training in this account. His conclusions about the meaning of merit, the defects of affirmative action, the importance of apology, and the need for true equality deal productively with one of America's most vexing problems. His book is also relevant to any society struggling with racial differences and past injustices.

English.

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