Is it rational to discriminate against youth as a group, given the liberal, individualistic values of the present society? The common answer is yes, because Science says that young people are immature. This implies, then, that if it is rational to discriminate against young people, the same science must say that other groups which are protected from discrimination by the State are at least somewhat more mature than young people. On the other hand, if it is irrational to discriminate against young people, that science will show that young people are at least as mature as some older group which is granted full rights. Consider a study done in 2005 by Margo Gardner and Laurence Steinberg called
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