Is It Ever OK To Discriminate Against White Men?
Thu Feb 05 2026
In this guest episode from Philosophically Speaking, Emily McTernan and Jeff Howard explore a provocative question. Can white men be discriminated against, and if so, should the law protect them in the same way it protects other groups?
To help unpack this, they are joined by Professor Cécile Laborde, who discusses her recent work on structural inequality and the moral foundations of discrimination law. Drawing on her article 'Structural Inequality and the Protectorate of Discrimination', published in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, Cécile challenges common assumptions about who discrimination law is for and why.
Mentioned in this episode:
Philosophically Speaking podcast'Structural Inequality and the Protectorate of Discrimination' by Cécile Laborde
UCL’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.
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In this guest episode from Philosophically Speaking, Emily McTernan and Jeff Howard explore a provocative question. Can white men be discriminated against, and if so, should the law protect them in the same way it protects other groups? To help unpack this, they are joined by Professor Cécile Laborde, who discusses her recent work on structural inequality and the moral foundations of discrimination law. Drawing on her article 'Structural Inequality and the Protectorate of Discrimination', published in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, Cécile challenges common assumptions about who discrimination law is for and why. Mentioned in this episode: Philosophically Speaking podcast'Structural Inequality and the Protectorate of Discrimination' by Cécile Laborde UCL’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.