Assessing the Limits of Statistical Support to Stereotypes The Case of Disadvantaged Groups

FEDERICO JOSÉ ARENA

Bilbao

Congreso; DESCOM Seminar. Stereotyping in Law; 2019

Universidad de Deusto

There is an "enlightened view" of stereotypes that, unlike the traditional view, argues that stereotypes (statements that associate a group of people -identified by an X-trait- a Y-trait) work similarly to generalizations and, therefore, can be contrasted with facts, determining whether they have a statistical basis. In this paper I will try to show, first, that there are some stereotypes, such as those that include interpretative concepts, that cannot be directly contrasted with facts and, second, that even if a stereotype has a statistical basis, it does not always justify the creation of a general norm. Under certain conditions, when the stereotype refers to disadvantaged groups, the decision must conform to the characteristics of the individual case.