Philosophy Professor: We Must Strengthen Our Commitment to Equality
July 3, 2015
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Joshua J. Kassner, associate professor in the Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies in the University of Baltimore's Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, writes in The Baltimore Sun that the nation's commitment to equality of opportunity is essential to our future. Without it, he says, a "system of privilege" creates advantages for some and disadvantages for others.
"If we are committed to the idea that America should be a meritocracy, as I think we are, then we must be committed to equality of opportunity," Kassner writes. "But, what is equality of opportunity and what does it demand? Despite what many conservatives might claim, it is not the same thing as freedom. Under a common understanding of freedom, you are free if you are not prevented from trying to achieve your goals. This, however, falls woefully short of equality of opportunity. It fails to account for the ways social and economic circumstances disadvantage many through no fault of their own. One needs more than noninterference to have an equal chance at success."
Read the op-ed.
Learn more about Prof. Kassner and UB's Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.