Against Equality of Opportunity
Encyclopedia
Against Equality of Opportunity is a 2002 book by Matt Cavanagh
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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.
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 letters page carried a balance of letters for and against Cavanagh.
Other reviews were more mixed, including the London Review of Books, the Independent, Philosophical Books and Political Studies 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 Feinberg or Sher.
Matt Cavanagh
Matt Cavanagh is an Associate Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research, working on UK immigration policy. From 2003 to 2010 he was a special adviser in the UK Labour government. He worked for Home Secretary David Blunkett; for Chancellor Gordon Brown; for Defence Secretary Des Browne;...
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The work is a critique of the doctrine of equal opportunity
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
. 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.
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 which in some eyes amounted to effectively condoning racial discrimination.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 letters page carried a balance of letters for and against Cavanagh.
Reviews and Academic Reaction
The book gained positive reviews in the Times Educational Supplement the Spectator, and in academic journals including Ethics, Notre Dame Philosophical Review, Theory and Research in Education and Contemporary Political Theory.Other reviews were more mixed, including the London Review of Books, the Independent, Philosophical Books and Political Studies 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 Feinberg or Sher.