ABSTRACT
Social scientists have generally refused to study the effects of affirmative action in the United States. This chapter begins with an illustration of the virtual neglect of the subject by social scientists. The need for scientific comment is acute because the public debate is full of confusions our science can and must clarify. One of the most surprising aspects of the political and institutional mutation is that its consequences have been left virtually unexamined by social scientists. The chapter focuses on affirmative action for Blacks. Writers who give opinions under the guise of scholarship do scant service to scholarship and provide little guidance in evaluating the effects of affirmative action. One of the most prevalent types of commentary on affirmative action has been legal, most of it sociologically questionable. Affirmative action is necessary because simply not discriminating would keep minorities in the historically subordinate position where they find themselves. Public debate about affirmative action is clouded by imprecision and confusion.
