4 ms·
Rational, yes; fair, no. Group differences are real, and burying or ignoring that truth is doomed to failure, since it is obvious. However, we have a moral res
by Dove 8y ago
Rational, yes; fair, no.
Group differences are real, and burying or ignoring that truth is doomed to failure, since it is obvious. However, we have a moral responsibility to evaluate every person as an individual - to give each the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how people who look like them tend to behave.
I myself think this is a two way street. If you belong to a group with a particular characteristic and you're an exception, you may need to make an effort to make that explicit - with a statement, via behavior, via dress. And it is not evil when people make assumptions about you; it's understandable. At the same time, we should try to be fair to everyone, to keep in mind that exceptions exist to every rule, and to allow others to change our first perceptions of them easily. I think this approach walks the line between truth and justice, though I am certainly open to hearing a better strategy.
- yasp 8y agoUnfortunately there is another dimension here which is that we're allocating a scarce resource (medical care). If one group has significantly higher rates of hypocondria (again, I don't know for sure whether this is true, but assume for argument's sake that it is), and we're forced to treat everyone as an individual (i.e. ignore this fact), then this necessarily deprives other groups of resources (medical care).
- tehwebguy 8y agoI think the point is simply that if you walk in properly (appointment / insurance / etc) you should be properly diagnosed.