look what i found

[7_V]

I'm reviving this thread because I've just read a simple definition of multiculturalism that I can understand:

Multiculturalism is a species of cultural relativism: no culture, no matter how successful, is "better" than another, just different. But maintaining this belief is difficult in the face of the West's remarkable dominance of the planet and its success at providing the highest living standards and greatest political freedom to the largest numbers of ordinary people. The reason for this success was obvious before the 20th centuryââ'¬â€Western civilization is superior in key respects and satisfies most efficiently universal human needs. But such an honest acknowledgment of reality these days is considered rude at best, racist and ethnocentric at worst. But whatever they say, Westerners denying Western superiority usually do so from the prosperity and freedom of the West, which is why their cultural relativism has an odor of bad faith. Also, the brute facts of immigrationââ'¬â€millions of non-Westerners risking their lives to get to the West, with only a handful of rich folks or cranks going the other wayââ'¬â€suggest that all those Third-World immigrants believe the West is superior, even if Western intellectuals pretend not to.

It's from an article by Bruce Thornton printed on Victor Hanson's site.

Food for thought.

 

[sideshowbob]

Multiculturalism isn't the belief that all cultures are equal, it's the belief that cultural diversity within a society is in itself a good thing, to be welcomed. Doesn't mean one has to welcome female circumcision, for example, far from it.

-- Ian

 

[Lt Cdr Data]

Its not really to do with cultures as I understand it.
Culture is really beliefs, traditions, practices, all that.
Man made systems aren't necessarily equal, and the fact that western medicine and technology is the means to understanding the world...objectivist? and has lead to the greatest progress scientifically, has little to do with people being inherently equal and the same.
people of the world are all fundamentally the same, man(person ) made systems are not.
tho' I would question if western systems totally do give the greatest freedom and all that, capitalism, whilst a good force in many respects also has its downsides, and people still need eastern 'exoticism' and beliefs.
intersting point of view nevertheless

 

[7_V]

Multiculturalism isn't the belief that all cultures are equal, it's the belief that cultural diversity within a society is in itself a good thing, to be welcomed.

I typed 'Multiculturalism' into Google.

It seems that while some people use the term to describe a society of cultural diversity (Canadian Heritage Site), others do indeed use the term to describe the belief that all cultures are equal (The Ayn Rand Institute).

 

[sideshowbob]

Yes, well, Ayn Rand is the hero of certain right-wing nutters, so the use of the term as a synonym for cultural relativism has a political bent in that case.

-- Ian

 

[7_V]

In fact it appears that the definition of 'Muliticulturalism' is itself a political issue:

What is Multiculturalism? - Professor Gregory Jay, University of Wisconsin

I live and learn.

 

[sideshowbob]

When it comes to definition, what's wrong with the OED?

Multicultural Of or pertaining to a society consisting of varied cultural groups

Simple.

Certain prejudices require justification for the notion that cultural diversity is a bad thing. Since cultural relativism is an easy target (being obviously incoherent and wrong) it suits some people to identify it with multiculturalism. It's a pretty transparent trick isn't it?

-- Ian