Is affirmative action compatible with merit?
Side one
Equalising opportunity is merit
Merit measured on an unequal starting line rewards privilege. Reservation corrects historic exclusion and widens the talent pool.
Ambedkar: Equality and Constitutional Morality · Rawls: Justice as Fairness · Jyotirao Phule: Truth-Seeking and EqualitySide two
Select purely on performance
Institutions work best when they pick the most capable. Group-based quotas can create new unfairness and may not reach the most disadvantaged.
Nozick: Liberty and Entitlement · Hayek: Knowledge and Order · OutliersCommon ground
Both value fairness and capable institutions, and agree that disadvantage starts long before any exam.
How to reconcile them
Combine targeted support at the point of entry with heavy investment in early education, so fewer people need correction later.
When each side is right
Emphasise affirmative action where exclusion is deep and persistent. Emphasise refining it where benefits concentrate among the already advantaged.
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