Navigating the Difficult Terrain of Neutral Obligations: A Superior Approach to Exempt Schools and Government Toward Playing Fair

Navigating the Difficult Terrain of Neutral Obligations: A Superior Approach to Exempt Schools and Government Toward Playing Fair

Abstract

The issue of whether certain institutions, such as religious schools, should be exempt from certain laws or regulations has been a contentious one in public policy and legal circles for many years. The central question is whether such exemptions violate the principle of neutrality, which requires the government to treat all citizens and institutions equally, regardless of their religious beliefs or affiliations. In this paper, we argue that a superior approach to navigating the difficult terrain of neutral obligations is to adopt what we call the "social justice approach," which emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all individuals and institutions have equal access to the benefits and opportunities provided by society, regardless of their religious beliefs or affiliations. We demonstrate that this approach is more consistent with the principle of neutrality than traditional approaches that rely solely on legal or constitutional principles. Furthermore, we show that the social justice approach can help to address some of the most pressing social and educational challenges facing our society today, including poverty, inequality, and educational disparities. We conclude that adopting the social justice approach is not only morally and ethically superior, but also makes good public policy sense, by promoting greater social cohesion, inclusivity, and equity.

Citation

Aaron-james Reece "Navigating the Difficult Terrain of Neutral Obligations: A Superior Approach to Exempt Schools and Government Toward Playing Fair".  IEEE Exploration in Machine Learning, 2022.

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This paper appears in:
Date of Release: 2022
Author(s): Aaron-james Reece.
IEEE Exploration in Machine Learning
Page(s): 7
Product Type: Conference/Journal Publications