Affirmative Action CQR on Race Preferences Policy in Higher Education

Assignment:

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the various affirmative action claims raised in the CQ articles? Identify at least four (4) claims. (Bullet points are fine)

1. Describe/ identify the warrants that support the claims.
   1. Authoritative Warrants

Answers the question: Are the grounds credible?

Reliability    

Evidence should be drawn from sources that have proven to be correct many times in the past.

Expertise      

Evidence should be drawn from sources having a background of knowledge in relevant information.

Objectivity  

Evidence should be taken from sources who hold a fair and undistorted view on a question or issue.

Consistency

Evidence should agree with other sources and should be consistent with itself.

Recency       

Evidence should be based on the most current information available.

Relevance    

The facts and evidence presented should be relevant to the claim that is made.

Accuracy      

Citations should be complete, the sources of evidence fully identified, and offered opinions a true reflection of the data.

1.  
   1. Substantive Warrants

Answers the questions:

Are the premises from the deductive argument logical and true?

Is the jump from the premises of the inductive argument to the conclusion drawn acceptable?

Argument from Generalization

Is the sample from which the generalization made statistically significant?

Argument from Example

Are the examples offered similar and significant so as to draw a generalized conclusion.

Argument from Sign

 Is the sign identified a consistent indicator of the condition?

Argument by Analogy

 Is the analogy strong, are there significant similarities in the situations?

Argument from Cause

Are the causes identified necessary and/or sufficient.

Argument by Definition

The issue belongs or does not belong to a particular class of issues.

Argument by Correlation

Two events or phenomena vary together, an increase or decrease in one is accompanied by an increase or decrease in another 

1. 1. Evaluative Warrants

Highlight the moral and value links from the grounds to the claim.

The evaluative warrant answers the questions:

What are the terminal and instrumental values that support the link between the grounds and the claim?

Terminal and Instrumental Values

Terminal – Noun “The Good” (The Ends)

Instrumental – Verb “To achieve good” (The Means)

Instrumental values are those values we rely upon to get to the terminal values.

Consider the oppositional values that undermine the claim?

Are the oppositional values less significant than the values used to support the claim.

Sometimes these values are in conflict

Quality: the nature of the good or harm

Quantity: the degree of good or harm

Opposition: Is there any “collateral damage”