> I think, when it comes to questions of discrimination (on the basis of race/gender/etc), it is good that society seeks to prohibit it in public settings (government, the education system, the workplace, public [accommodations], etc), but trying to outlaw it in private is a road to totalitarianism, and that's true even if private discrimination is objectively morally wrong.
Finding the appropriate response is key, in policy, as in individual action. Response to an undesirable behavior need not (and typically should not) be blunt or "zero tolerance". There are a wide range of better responses / interventions.
Policies (whether before-the-incident precautions or after-the-harm responses) can be evaluated both in terms of (a) moral intent and (b) moral outcomes. Ascertaining intent of a collective decision (often requiring some kind of voting or consensus) can be theoretically impossible and often practically impossible.
But when it comes to moral outcomes, there are warning signs that suggest an immoral policy: (i) lack of a targeted impact; (ii) poor benefit / cost ratio; (iii) disproportional response; (iv) high sensitivity (as in "sensitivity analysis") to imprecise or unknowable information; (v) serious unintended consequences; (vi) prioritizing ends over means
Note: I'm using "moral" more broadly than many. Many more people would likely view the above list as indicators of something akin to ineffectiveness, foolishness, imprecision, or misguidedness.
Finding the appropriate response is key, in policy, as in individual action. Response to an undesirable behavior need not (and typically should not) be blunt or "zero tolerance". There are a wide range of better responses / interventions.
Policies (whether before-the-incident precautions or after-the-harm responses) can be evaluated both in terms of (a) moral intent and (b) moral outcomes. Ascertaining intent of a collective decision (often requiring some kind of voting or consensus) can be theoretically impossible and often practically impossible.
But when it comes to moral outcomes, there are warning signs that suggest an immoral policy: (i) lack of a targeted impact; (ii) poor benefit / cost ratio; (iii) disproportional response; (iv) high sensitivity (as in "sensitivity analysis") to imprecise or unknowable information; (v) serious unintended consequences; (vi) prioritizing ends over means