Racial Profiling and the Political Philosophy of Race

Abstract

Philosophical reflection on racial profiling takes one of two forms. The first sees it as an example of “statistical discrimination,” raising the question of when, if ever, probabilistic generalizations about group behavior or characteristics can be used to judge particular individuals. The second is concerned with how racial profiling illuminates the reproduction of hierarchies of power and privilege based on skin color and morphology. Insights from both approaches can be synthesized to clarify what, if anything, is wrong with racial profiling and what broader conclusions for equality and security follow from the study of profiling.