Discrimination and human dignity

Abstract

The question I shall address in this research report is: Is it justifiable to use a person’s past mistakes or current unfortunate position as a reason not to hire them to do jobs for which they are skilled or to discriminate against them when they are employed? I will argue for the following claim: It is not morally justifiable to discriminate against people on the basis of their criminal record. With the emphasis on the dignity of people, I will defend this claim using a Kantian approach, which I shall argue is preferable to the Utilitarian approach. My claim will be broken into sections. These sections will consist of i) that candidates should not be discriminated based on their past; ii) candidates should not only be hired to do the dirty jobs; iii) an opportunity for them to be promoted within the company should be granted. I shall also iv) make an analysis to show the difference between Kantian and Utilitarian management styles, v) explore how respect and dignity can be restored, vi) respond to objections to my view and vii) suggest the solutions that I have in conjunction to the objections