Against Equality of Opportunity
This book will be of interest to students and teachers of political philosophy, but ultimately it is aimed at anyone who cares about the fundamental values that lie behind the way society is organized. Though the argument is rigorous, it does not require a professional philosophical training to follow it.
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These days almost everyone seems to think it obvious that equality of opportunity is at least part of what constitutes a fair society. At the same time they are so vague about what equality of opportunity actually amounts to that it can begin to look like an empty term, a convenient shorthand for the way jobs (or for that matter university places, or positions of power, or merely places on the local sports team) should be allocated, whatever that happens to be. Matt Cavanagh offers a highly provocative and original new view, suggesting that the way we think about equality and opportunity should be radically changed. Notre Dame Philosophical Review this is a well-argued, insightful, highly nuanced book, well worth close study by anyone who is concerned to make sense of the concept of equal opportunity. It is a model of close, rigorous, analytic thinking about moral matters. It challenges received orthodoxies at several points, and forces all of us to reevaluate our commitment to meritocracy and equality.
IntroductionPt. 1Meritocracy1Two concepts of meritocracy332Meritocracy as a way of rewarding desert353Meritocracy as hiring the best person for the job434Are employers obliged to hire the best people?495When being good at he job is not just a means to an end546Arguments for meritocracy that appeal to efficiency rather than fairness637Meritocracy in the public sector698Legitimate expectations729Should we be trying to promote merit indirectly?7710Conclusions78Pt. 2Equality1Equality and meritocracy832Some common but unsuccessful arguments for equal treatment903Arguments for equality in the face of difference1034Egalitarian arguments that appeal not to some claim we are each separately thought to possess, but to our relations with each other1125Equality of what: Work, opportunities, or chances?1186So why do we believe in equality?1327Conclusions138Pt. 3Discrimination1Discrimination, meritocracy, and equality1532So what exactly is wrong with discrimination?1603A libertarian objection1674Does every kind of discrimination express contempt?1765Is it unfair to use statistical judgements when dealing with people?1806Giving in to people's prejudices1937Is discrimination wrong in itself, or because of its effects?1978Conclusions207Conclusions213References219Index221
\ GuardianCavanagh has undoubtedly highlighted some important areas of debate for philosophers and politicians.\ \ \ \ \ London Review of BooksCavanagh's argument…enables us to pierce the cloud of platitudes surrounding the idea of [meritocracy] and see through to the confusion beneath…He is a good bullshit detector… unforgiving rigour\ \ \ SpectatorExcellent...The book fully lives up to its provocative title. In the horse-trading of meritocracy versus equality, few have had the nerve and the imagination to throw out both these ideals at once.\ \ \ \ \ Times Higher Education SupplementAssured, punchy and tenacious… As a piece of consecutive thinking about the goals of defensible public policy in a modern democracy, [t]his book gives an object lesson to anyone who cares about its politics and acknowledges the responsibility to try to understand what is really at stake in them.\ \ \ \ \ Notre Dame Philosophical Reviewthis is a well-argued, insightful, highly nuanced book, well worth close study by anyone who is concerned to make sense of the concept of equal opportunity. It is a model of close, rigorous, analytic thinking about moral matters. It challenges received orthodoxies at several points, and forces all of us to reevaluate our commitment to meritocracy and equality.\ \ \ \ \ Independent Tuesday BookAgainst Equality of Opportunity is a contrarian book - and all the better for that... In setting out clearly the argument that equality in distribution has no inherent moral importance, the book performs a valuable service.\ \
