Against Equality of Opportunity

Against Equality of Opportunity is a 2002 book by Matt Cavanagh.[1] The work is a critique of the doctrine of equal opportunity. Cavanagh argues against the conventional understanding of equal opportunity, in particular both meritocracy and most substantial interpretations of equality, including the idea of ‘equal life chances’. Instead, he argues for a more limited approach of trying to eliminate specific kinds of discrimination (including race discrimination), together with trying to provide enough opportunities, and help to access them, such that most people have some degree of control over their lives.[2]

Against Equality of Opportunity
AuthorMatt Cavanagh
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenrePolitical philosophy
PublisherClarendon Press
Pages232

Criticism

Allegations of racism

The book caused some controversy when the author was appointed as an adviser to then Labour Minister David Blunkett when it was revealed that the book argued that it was sometimes rational (in an economic sense) for white employers to discriminate against black applicants[3][4]

This led to widespread calls for Cavanagh to be sacked, with questions tabled in Parliament, and the affair rumbled on for a few days. The Guardian's letters page carried a balance of letters for and against Cavanagh.[5]

Reviews and academic reaction

The book received positive reviews in the Times Educational Supplement[6] The Spectator,[2] and in academic journals including Ethics,[7] Notre Dame Philosophical Review,[8] Theory and Research in Education[9] and Contemporary Political Theory.[10]

Other reviews were more mixed, including the London Review of Books,[11] The Independent,[1] Philosophical Books[12] and Political Studies Review[13] and Utilitas, the latter two arguing that the work does not adequately engage other scholarly literature relating to equality of opportunity by authors such as Joel Feinberg or George Sher.

References
  1. Gray, John (14 February 2001). "Against Equality of Opportunity by Matt Cavanagh". The Independent. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  2. Feam, Nicholas (16 March 2002). "More like a beauty contest". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  3. Suroor, Hasan (23 March 2004). "Asian MPs protest 'racist' remarks of Blunkett's adviser". The Hindu. London. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  4. Kite, Melissa; Syal, Rajeev (21 March 2004). "Labour's black and Asian members demand sacking of Blunkett race adviser". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  5. "Letters: Philosophy and the real world". The Guardian. London. 21 March 2004.
  6. Dunn, John (21 June 2001). "Why we should spurn equality and meritocracy". Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. Fullinwider, Robert K. (2003). "Book reviews". Ethics. 113 (4): 869–871. doi:10.1086/374006. JSTOR 10.1086/374006.
  8. Pojman, Louis (1 December 2002). "Review: Matt Cavanagh – Against Equal Opportunity". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. Schrag, Francis; Mclaughlin, T. H.; De Ruyter, Doret; Archard, David (1 March 2004). "Book reviews". Theory and Research in Education. 2 (1): 85–96. doi:10.1177/1477878504040581.
  10. Knowles, Dudley (2003). "Against Equality of Opportunity review" (PDF). Contemporary Political Theory. 2: 131–133. doi:10.1057/palgrave.cpt.9300060. ISSN 1476-9336.
  11. Waldron, Jeremy (19 September 2002). "Deservingness". London Review of Books. 24 (18): 10. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  12. Cruft, Rowan (17 January 2005). "Against Equality of Opportunity". Philosophical Books. 46 (1): 59–65. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0149.2005.0357a.x.
  13. Mason, Andrew (4 March 2004). "Review of "Against Equality of Opportunity" by Matt Cavanagh". 1 (3): 346–382. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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