Different Forms Of Diversity

Diversity is a thing many people seem eager to embrace in today's Western culture.  Many rush to be affiliated with it, hesitating to criticize calls for diversity out of fear of dramatic reactions from others.  There is a widespread acceptance of the idea that diversity is inherently good by nature of what it is.  Of course, nothing should be prescribed unless it truly is itself good.  Whether or not diversity is or even can be good depends entirely on what kind of diversity is in question.

Diversity of personality, ethnicity, social background, gender, and age can facilitate problem solving, since there are more people who can help, each person bringing their respective experiences with them.  With this form of diversity, people can effectively share knowledge with other people in a much more direct way.  These forms of diversity are Biblically positive and are beneficial even from a strictly pragmatic standpoint.

The very fact that God created humans to be diverse proves this within the Christian worldview.  From Genesis onward, diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity, and social status is a thing that does not interfere with a person's relationship with God (Galatians 3:28) or alter their metaphysical value or capabilities (Genesis 1:26-28).  It is not controversial, as far as the Christian worldview goes, to prioritize, defend, and enjoy these kinds of diversity.

Ideological diversity, contrary to this, cannot be positive.  If anything about reality is objectively meaningful, then any ideology that conflicts with the truth about that thing is by necessity false in not only a logical sense, but also in a moral sense.  If nothing about reality is objectively meaningful, then ideological diversity cannot be meaningful--because nothing at all is.  Regarding ideological diversity as somehow being good is what motivates people to tolerate false, dangerous, or unproven ideas, with this tolerance inevitably being applied in an arbitrary way.

These two categories of diversity, one of individuality and the other of ideology, are very different.  One leads to moral growth, while the other leads to moral stagnation.  Different ideologies cannot all be correct, and it is precisely because of this that people do not have a right to subscribe to any ideology they like.  Ideological diversity cannot be positive whether or not any set of values has authority because such a thing is logically impossible.