About the Book

Given the enormous struggles, efforts and money expended on the equalities enterprise, why has more progress not been made?

And further, why have things actually become worse in some circumstances?

It is argued this has occurred because:

• The values of Equality have been bureaucratized, allowing the liberal principle of ‘live and let live’ to be perverted and put in the service of fear and control.
• The Diversity discourse has been hijacked by the libertarians and put in the service of increasing profit, under the guise of liberty and inclusivity.
• The equality movements have become apolitical, sidetracked into the project of the indiscriminate celebration and preservation of cultures, in lieu of challenging the status quo within cultures as much as between them.
• The versions of psychology and sociology that the equality movements have drawn on are over simple.
• The attempts to do away with judgementalism and unfair discrimination have ended up vilifying the capacities for judgment and discrimination per se.

The book walks the thin line between the apologists who deify ‘difference’ and the zealots and bigots who vilify the different, to argue that to create a fairer world, we need to enhance our capacities for discrimination, not stifle them.

Although the work is focussed around equality, it has bigger things to say about the human condition and organizational life in general.

About Farhad Dalal

His first degree was in Physics. He taught Maths and Physics in comprehensive schools in London for 14 years.

He completed two trainings first as a psychotherapist, then as a group analyst with the Institute of Group Analysis.

He gained his PhD from the University of East London in 2001.

Until recently he was an Associate Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire's Business School. 

He works with organizations and also has a psychotherapy practice in Devon.

He is a founder member of The South Devon Psychotherapy and Counselling Services.

In his first book Taking the Group Seriously he argues against individualism and for the relational nature of human life. In his second book Race, Colour and the Processes of Racialization, focuses on the causes of the hatred of Others in general and racism in particular. This current book Thought Paralysis  The Virtues of Discrimination, is a constructive critique of the Equality movements.

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