Matthew Adams- Nonideal Justice, Fairness, and Affirmative Action

Date
-
Location
Encina Hall West, Room 400 (GSL)
Speaker

Matthew Adams, Ethics in Society Fellow, Stanford University

 

Abstract

I argue that the most compelling justification for non-meritocratic affirmative action policies is that they increase comparatively disadvantaged people’s ability to exercise their basic liberties, rather than rectifying injustice in the narrow context of education and employment procedures. I present this justification using a Rawlsian contractualist framework to forge what I term a “nonideal principle of justice.” This principle supports non-meritocratic affirmative action policies under a wide range of conditions, and obviates the objection that such policies are unfair. In closing, I tease out some legal implications of my argument, and reflect more generally on the value of the conceptual innovation of nonideal principles of justice

 

Biography

Matthew completed his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Virginia. He specializes in contemporary political philosophy and applied ethics, and he also works on topics ranging from Plato's late political philosophy to food aesthetics.

At the moment, Matthew's work focuses on developing a new nonideal theory of justice. This theory hinges on an innovation termed "nonideal principles of justice." These principles, which are forged using a contractualist framework, help us to tackle exigent topics. For example, they specify the conditions under which non-meritocratic affirmative action is just.

Matthew is starting a new research project at the intersection of climate justice and bioethics. As part of this project, he is working on a paper that explains the relationship between material scarcity and partiality by drawing on principles of medical triage.