ofequality tothe factualequalityofthe differentraces or
sexes,takenasawhole,ouroppositiontoracismandsexism
doesnotprovideuswithanybasisforobjectingtothiskind
of inegalitarianism.
Thereisasecondimportantreasonwhyweoughtnottobase
ouroppositiontoracismandsexismonanykindoffactual
equality,eventhelimitedkindthatassertsthatvariationsin
capacitiesandabilitiesarespreadevenlyamongthedifferent
races and between the sexes: we can have no absolute
guarantee that these capacities and abilities really are
distributed evenly, without regard to race or sex, among
humanbeings.Sofarasactualabilitiesareconcernedthere
do seem to be certain measurabledifferences both among
racesandbetweensexes.Thesedifferencesdonot,ofcourse,
appearineverycase,butonlywhenaveragesaretaken.More
important still, we do not yet know how many of these
differencesarereallyduetothedifferentgeneticendowments
ofthedifferentracesand sexes,andhowmanyaredueto
poor schools, poor housing, and other factorsthat are the
resultofpastandcontinuingdiscrimination.Perhapsallofthe
important differences will eventually prove to be
environmentalratherthangenetic.Anyoneopposedtoracism
andsexismwillcertainlyhopethatthiswillbeso,foritwill
make the task of ending discrimination a lot easier;
nevertheless,itwouldbedangeroustorestthecaseagainst
racismandsexismonthebeliefthatallsignificantdifferences
are environmental in origin. Theopponent of, say, racism
whotakesthislinewillbeunabletoavoidconcedingthatif
differencesinabilitydidafterallprovetohavesomegenetic
connection with race, racism would in some way be
defensible.