I came across this particularly compelling deconstruction of pluralism in my reading this morning (from The Pluralism Project at Harvard University website) and thought it's worth sharing, especially in the
light of the perennial national versus ethnic, religious versus secular,
Christianity versus Islam, etc. debates that occupy center stage in Nigeria's
socio-cultural and political public space.
"Pluralism is not diversity alone, but
the energetic engagement with diversity" for "mere diversity without
real encounter and relationship will yield increasing tensions in our
societies." Pluralism "does not
require us to leave our identities and our commitments behind. ... It means
holding our deepest differences, even our religious differences, not in
isolation, but in relationship to one another" (emphasis added). Real
pluralism is built on “dialogue” and “give and take, criticism and
self-criticism”—and “dialogue means both speaking and listening.”
