Review
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The views that have come out reflect popular concerns.

The idea that people should be compensated for unjust harm done to them is widely held. But just how this applies to complicated situations is unclear. As we get further and further from the ideal case described by Alan Goldman, there is less and less agreement.

Ann and Malik want to place stress on two ideas: first, that many white people have indirectly benefited from decades of discrimination against blacks; and second, that many blacks have been indirectly harmed by discrimination against others.

This raises tough puzzles about making beneficiaries bear too much of the burden of compensation for acts they did not commit. Fred argues that this is unfair, and uses Fullinwider's argument about the driveway to support his view. The use of statistics has also been questioned. How should statistics be used when deciding whether discrimination has occurred or whether affirmative action is justified? Again, Ann and Malik agree that a large racial imbalance may indicate discrimination or a legacy of discrimination. Fred claims that using statistics pressures employers to use quotas instead of job related qualifications for hiring. It may make the employer guilty until he can prove himself innocent.

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