ABSTRACT
Advocates of the liberal position reduce genuinely ethical considerations to merely political ones. The context of social/political power is ignored in any analysis that perceives the social system as a pure meritocracy to which all individuals have equal access and from which each individual has an equal chance of gain. The notions of truth and freedom are given pride of place in much of the liberal discussion of political correctness with the understanding that they will naturally emerge from an open debate among the many differing parties. The liberal theorists never address the social and political implications of the whole process of defining knowledge. Issues of racism and sexism in language are not simply matters of political correctness; they are, however, deeply political and, like the concepts of intelligence and knowledge, will go a long way toward determining the allocation of privilege, dignity, and even human worth.
