Pluralism and Alienation

Fredrick Buechner in “Telling Secrets” make an interesting point (Page 64) about the application of ‘pluralism’ which I believe is related to the concept of diversity as applied in our society today. He was teaching a class at Harvard Divinity School and trying to create a community within this group of students. When he asked why there was so little interaction, one student said that he felt that if he said what he thought, he would be “shot down” by the rest.

Buechner says “…that the danger of pluralism is that it becomes factionalism, and that if factions grind their separate axes too vociferously, something mutual, precious, and human is in danger of being drowned out and lost.” A major goal of pluralism and diversity is inclusion with the hope that if we are inclusive, we will not only benefit from the different perspectives but we will also learn to live together in harmony.

At the root of pluralism and diversity as proposed today is the belief that there are no absolutes. If everyone is right in their own way and no one is wrong; in the end the different groups have nothing to talk about and can only converse with others of like mind. The result is that you hang with people who think like you. Each faction will have its unique hidden rules for inclusion and exclusion. The goal is peace, harmony, and unity but the result is likely to be isolation and poor communication.

My experience with ‘diversity training’ has been that training results in wider gulfs and an increased sense of ‘us and them’ rather than greater harmony.