I will begin by explaining what an affirmative action policy is and also provide an example of a situation in which an affirmative action policy is used. Next, I will argue that affirmative action policies are not morally justifiable because they reward bad minorities and punish bad nonminorities, and that affirmative action policies do not support a meritocratic society. Finally, I will explain how an individual in favor of affirmative action policies would respond to these ideas. An affirmative action policy is a policy that gives preference to a minority based on the individual's gender, ethnicity, race, or religious preferences. Additionally, affirmative action policies could take the form of lowering college admissions test scores. Michael Sandel provides an excellent example of affirmative action policy in his article Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do. Michael Sandel is talking about a woman named Cheryl Hopwood. Cheryl Hopwood was a white woman who was not wealthy and was raised by a single mother (Sandel 2). Cheryl Hopwood had applied to the University of Texas Law School with a 3.8 grade point average and with a score in the 83rd percentile on the university's admissions test (Sandel 2). Unfortunately, Cheryl Hopwood was not admitted due to the university's affirmative action policy (Sandel 2). The University of Texas Law School gave preference and admitted African American and Mexican American students even though their academic qualifications were either weaker or the same as those of Cheryl Hopwood (Sandel 2). Cheryl Hopwood then took this case to court, arguing that she was discriminated against, but the university responded by stating that "the mission of the law school was to increase the… middle of paper………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. non-minority who was educated in a high-ranking private school, then the minority should be rewarded for their efforts in accomplishing such a task. But efforts by the minority to become slightly less intelligent than non-minorities do not guarantee the best for society. In the case of both candidates applying for the bridge construction position, simply knowing that one candidate worked harder than the other to obtain bridge construction information does not guarantee that a stable bridge will be built at any time. In other words, knowing that the minority worked harder to acquire knowledge will not allow the minority to build a stable bridge 100% of the time instead of 95% of the time currently. A meritocratic society is therefore necessary because it ensures that the community gets the best of what it has to offer..