SOCI 1501W Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Social Inequality, Essentialism
Document Summary
Black or white, rich or poor, male or female these are just the way things are. Nature of reality- really exists (cid:498)out there(cid:499) and is independent of our perception of it- reality is that which is accessible to us through our senses- our world is an empirical reality. Nature of differences- differences, like race, class, and gender represent real things, naturally occurring, scientifically measurable, and relatively significant for people and society. Inequality inevitable-real limits to social change or efforts to improve life. Fatalistic essentialism- inequality, hierarchy and domination, exploitation and natural, inevitable, necessary and unchangeable- consequently efforts to change things will turn out bad. Remove artificial barriers and eliminate unjust discrimination-use science to distinguish real group deficiencies from false ones rooted in prejudice. Realistic essentialism- pity the disadvantage and offer remedial resources-raise defectives to their full (limited) potential. If people haven"t named it, they probably can"t see it.
