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Affirmative Action: Social Justice or Unfair Preference? (Point/Counterpoint: Philosophers Debate Contemporary Issues)

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This 1996 volume features "pro" and "con" arguments from two philosophers: PRO-Albert G. Mosley (editor of African Philosophy: Selected Readings) and CON-Nicholas Capaldi (author of Out of Order: Affirmative Action and the Crisis of Doctrinaire Liberalism). Each first contributes an essay, then a response to the other's essay.

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Thus, it makes no sense at all to speak as if the descendants of slavery would be in a better or worse condition had there been no slavery, since the descendants of slavery would not exist had there been no slavery. Moreover, it makes no sense to speak as if Africa would have been as badly off as it now is had there been no slave trade or colonization. Given the benefit of the doubt as to the ability of Africans to develop modern cultures, Africa would probably be much better off than it currently is." (Pg. 34)
"'Innocent White males' are harmed primarily by being deprived of benefits they would normally expect to acquire. But taking existing inequalities as the baseline for determining violations of equal opportunity implies that the inflated odds against success suffered by those who have been the object of racism and sexism should be accepted as the norm." (Pg. 51)
"But it should be recognized that the civil rights revolution (in general) and affirmative action (in particular) has been beneficial, not just to Blacks, but also to Whites (e.g., women, the disabled, the elderly) who otherwise would be substantially more vulnerable than they are now." (Pg. 53)