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8 PLURALISM AN D EQUALITY : THE STATU S O F MINORITY VALUE S IN A DEMOCRACY ROBERT L. SIMON In hi s book , Justice, Equal Opportunity, and the Family, Jame s Fishkin claims , "I shoul d no t be able to enter a hospital ward o f healthy newbor n babie s and , o n th e basi s o f class , race, sex , o r other arbitrar y characteristic s predic t th e eventua l positio n i n society o f thes e children." 1 I n a simila r vein , Onor a O'Neil l maintains tha t "Substantivel y equa l opportunit y i s achieved whe n the succes s rate of certain majo r socia l groups—such a s the tw o sexes, various ethni c group s an d perhap s variou s ag e groups — are equalized." 2 It is not difficult t o reconstruct th e reasoning tha t migh t hav e led Fishki n an d O'Neil l t o thes e views . I f w e ca n predic t th e eventual positio n i n society of children base d o n class , race, sex , religious affiliation , ethnicity , o r othe r accident s of birth, i t woul d I a m gratefu l t o Hamilto n Colleg e fo r awar d o f a Facult y Fellowshi p tha t supported m y work o n thi s chapter. A n earlie r versio n wa s read t o the meetin g of th e America n Societ y fo r Politica l an d Lega l Philosoph y i n Chicag o i n Sep tember , 1987 . I a m gratefu l t o Jule s Colema n an d Josep h Caren s fo r thei r helpful an d provocativ e comment s a t tha t meeting , an d regre t tha t I wa s no t able to incorporate som e of their suggestion s int o my contribution . 208 ROBERT L . SIMO N suggest tha t the y did no t have equal starts in life. Lacking equa l starts, difference s i n outcom e woul d b e morall y suspect . Tha t is, the y woul d b e th e resul t o f accident s o f birth , o f wha t i n effect i s a morall y arbitrar y lotter y tha t distribute s mor e o r les s favorable startin g point s in a purely fortuitiou s an d undeserve d manner. Although thi s line of reasoning seems to me to express impor tant constituents of an important stran d o f contemporary libera l egalitarian thought , i t raises a problem concernin g th e valu e o f pluralism i n a democracy . Respec t fo r a pluralit y o f religions , cultural an d ethni c traditions , an d way s o f lif e i s widel y re garded a s a desirabl e featur e o f th e libera l democrati c state . Even thos e wh o doub t th e intrinsi c valu e o f pluralis m woul d hesitate before forcin g assimilatio n o n divers e groups . The existenc e of diverse social groups ha s the implication just mentioned; namely , tha t we will not all begin ou r live s from th e same starting points and a s a consequence ma y end u p at differ ent positions. 3 Doe s th e existenc e o f divers e cultural , religious , and ethni c group s rais e problems fo r importan t libera l assump tions abou t equality ? Fo r example , i s O'Neil l correc t whe n sh e claims that "Onl y a society whose various social groups hav e lost their diversit y . . . could remai n a substantivel y equa l opportu nity societ y ove r a long period." 4 Mor e generally , ho w doe s th e issue o f pluralis m versu s assimilatio n fi t i n wit h recen t discus sions o f equalit y an d socia l justice i n th e libera l tradition ? Al though suc h a broad questio n canno t b e exhaustivel y explore d here, eve...

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