The Contingent Value of Diversity: Reassessing Its Role in Advancing Justice and Social Cohesion
Abstract
This article critically analyzes the prevailing focus on diversity within society, questioning whether it is a core societal ideal or merely a transient political trend. The research situates variety within overarching frameworks of social development, utilizing both modern and traditional philosophical theories, alongside Marx's assertion that the economy determines the superstructure. Aristotle's Eudaimonia, Rawls' fairness, and Confucius' "Great Unity" all promote the premise that equality, fairness, and peace are still the most important goals for society. Diversity is only a short-term fix for these long-term goals. The article warns against seeing variety as a good thing in itself, even as historical movements like civil rights, feminism, and LGBTQ+ advocacy show how diversity can help society. Conflicts over racial quotas and generational loneliness are two examples of how accepting variety as a goal can cause society to fall apart, become more relative, and lose its purpose. According to the conclusion of the article, justice, equality, and peace are reaffirmed as enduring fundamental principles. The author argues that diversity, despite the fact that it is advantageous in reducing discrimination and fostering inclusion, should be regarded as a temporary instrument of social advancement rather than a definitive societal objective.
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