A symposium on Born Free and Equal? A Philosophical Enquiry into the Nature of Discrimination (OUP, 2013) by Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen.
What is discrimination? There are certain instances of differential treatment that almost anyone would describe as discriminatory; yet upon deeper examination, this near-unanimity gives way to disagreement and difference. For instance, is it discrimination when hospitals hire non-smokers only? Not only do people differ on which cases of differential treatment they see as discriminatory, they also disagree about when discrimination is morally wrong; what makes it morally wrong; and, indeed, about whether all forms of discrimination are morally wrong! Finally, many disagree over what should be done about wrongful discrimination-especially about what the state could permissibly do to eliminate wrongful discrimination, e.g. in people’s love lives.
This book addresses these issues. It argues that there are different concepts of discrimination and that different purposes pertaining to different contexts determine which one is the most useful. It gives special attention to a concept of discrimination that ties discrimination to differential treatment of people on the basis of their membership in socially salient groups. Second, it argues that when discrimination is wrong, it is so first and foremost because of its harmful effects. Third, it takes issue with some of the standard devices used to counteract discrimination and submits that combating discrimination requires more than state actions. Finally, it argues that states may sometimes permissibly discriminate. (From: Oxford University Press)
MAIN SPEAKER
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen (Aarhus University, Denmark)
INVITED SPEAKERS
Erin Beeghly (University of Utah, USA)
Robin Celikates (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Jules Holroyd (University of Nottingham,UK)
Teresa Marques (University Pompeu Fabra, Spain)
DISCUSSANTS
Christopher Bennett (University of Sheffield)
Philipp Blum (University of Barcelona, Humboldt University of Berlin)
Francesca Bunkenborg (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Josep E. Corbí (University of Valencia)
Jose Ezequiel (University Pompeu Fabra)
Catia Faria (University Pompeu Fabra)
Manuel García-Carpintero (University of Barcelona)
Laura García-Portela (University of Valencia)
Lukas Kübler (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Resa-Philip Lunau (FU Berlin, HU Berlin)
Mari Mikkola (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Carlos Moya (University of Valencia)
Johanna Müller (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Israel Roncero (University Carlos III, Madrid)
PROGRAM
download
VENUE
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Main Building
Unter den Linden 6
R3059
Berlin, Germany
ORGANIZATION
Josep E. Corbí (University of Valencia)
Mari Mikkola (Humboldt-University, Berlin)
Jesús Vega (Autonomous University of Madrid)
CONTACT
Mari Mikkola (mari.mikkola at hu-berlin.edu)
FUNDED BY
Philosophische Fakultät I, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Philosophy of Perspectival Thoughts and Facts (Consolider-Ingenio CSD2009-00056)
About Ourselves (FFI2013-47948-P)
The Scope and Limits of Responsibility (FF1 2012-33470)
Nomos Network for Applied Philosophy 
