Proper Limits (John Speaking)
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I know that Weber put limits on what a legal affirmative action plan could do. The Weber limits are a compromise between various interests. But what we need is a solution based on ethical principles.

One way to eliminate the effects of discrimination might be to fire some white employees and replace them with black employees. Weber forbids that, but why? If we can justify hiring one black for every white for several years, then why can't we justify firing some of the whites? We need more than limits, we need PRINCIPLED limits.

For example, if whites have moral rights that must not be violated even to compensate blacks, what are they? No one would advocate killing off white employees in order to replace them with blacks. So just what are the principled limits on what can be done in order to carry out a program of compensation? We need to know.

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