Most modern societies are diverse societies. Nowadays, relatively
few people belong to political communities that are either culturally,
morally, linguistically, or in some other way homogeneous. To speak
only of ethno-linguistic pluralism, though there are only 195 sovereign
states, there are approximately 600 living language groups, and more
than 5000 different ethnic groups. In sum, then, our world is suffused
with a multiplicity of meaningful differences: pluralism prevails.
It is therefore imperative that young people living in diverse political
communities come to terms with the debate and familiarize themselves
with some of the key issues.
Importantly, the sorts of differences we ordinarily encounter tend
to be both deep and enduring. Perhaps more importantly, diverse political
communities will also tend to be divided ones: manifest differences
are a source of conflict, especially where differentiated individuals
or groups tend to have different ideas about what sorts of outcomes
are desirable. Though we often look to liberal democratic institutions
to mediate these conflicts, the 21st century has not borne witness
to the triumph of liberal democratic ideals, but instead to the emergence
of new schisms and particularisms. Indeed, the ongoing predominance
of liberal political philosophy parallels a widespread disillusionment
with traditional conceptions of a liberal democratic politics. All
of this ought to matter to political philosophers and students of
political philosophy, as it is becoming increasingly apparent that
modern democratic political communities are struggling to come to
terms with diversity. |
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