Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Philosophers Index Abstract

1. One out of four black males has spent time in jail for a felony. Blacks are on average about ten times more likely to be violent offenders than are whites.
2. I argue that these statistics make it rational to be apprehensive about blacks. From a moral point of view it is permissible to seek to avoid them in many circumstances.
3. The state is also entitled to use race-conscious screening of potential offenders. Arguments that this approach is "racist" are shown also to imply that affirmative action is "racist."