What Is Affirmative Action: An Ethical Evaluation By Bill Shaw

Bill Shaw, a philosopher, wrote the paper “Affirmative Action: An Ethical Evaluation”. In this paper he presents four objections people have to why affirmative action is wrong and then gives reasons as to why these objections are not valid. In this paper, I will first discuss what affirmative action is, then Shaw’s point argument against “the objection of unfair burden on present generation of white workers” (Shaw 766). Following this, I will articulate an objection to Shaw’s argument, regarding how white males endorse past discrimination when white males are insisting on being hired. Before I raise Shaw’s argument for affirmative action, I will explain what affirmative action is. Affirmative action is a program enacted to help equalize hiring between white males and women and minorities, based on equal opportunity to be looked at for a job. In Shaw’s paper, he defines Affirmative action as “a public or private program designed to equalize hiring and admissions opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups by taking into consideration those very characteristics which have been used to deny them equal treatment”
If the white male is accepting that they might not get a job because of better applicant that may or may not be a minority is committing no wrong for wanting to be hired.
To conclude my point, the purpose of a job interview is to push why you are a good applicant for a company. I do not believe it is a valid statement for Shaw to say. Or possible the white male does not know that they is applying for the same job as a minority. Now I can see Shaw’s point when a white male says explicitly that he deserves a job over a women or minority because they think they are inferior. That is obviously condoning and endorsing prior discrimination. But white men wanting a job is not necessarily condoning