‘Diversity’
CAERS Substack Article #80
If there is one thing that should strike us about Nature and evolution it is their diversity. And all of that variety is changing all of the time in often microscopic, barely noticeable ways. Eco- diversity provides the checks and balances that keep the earth vibrant and resilient. Farmers know that it is best to rotate their crops; those with green-thumbs seldom want any one plant to overrun their gardens no matter how beautiful. It is fortunate that we have become aware of this and realize the splendour of diversity—it is something for which to be thankful.
However, our species has not always fully appreciated this. Sadly, for much of our history those who are different than us have been met with a wary ambivalence at best. This should not be surprising as we are hardwired to fear that which is unknown or unfamiliar. For example, research has shown that audiences can find some computer-generated characters used in animated movies rather unsettling, or even disturbing. If they resemble us closely but not closely enough, we can find that degree of distant similarity eery.
It is not uncommon that once we learn to accept our differences, we find ourselves welcoming them. Much of our desire for travel stems from an interest in experiencing other cultures, meeting and interacting with individuals very dissimilar to us. Rather than recoil at their uniqueness, we are drawn to it, sometimes to the point of wanting to imitate them. That is said to be the sincerest form of flattery.
Nevertheless, in many respects we are still in our infancy in this regard. Our embrace of diversity thus far is rather shallow; it tends to involve superficial and largely aesthetic features that often tell us little about the individuals in front of us. Examples include skin colour and ethnicity. Fortunately, many such qualities are no longer quite the unsurmountable impediments to acceptance they once were. And most of these types of aesthetic qualities exist along a spectrum; there are more than two colours of skin, pure black or pure white, and many of us have mixed ethnicity.
But humans are diverse in myriad other ways that are perhaps a little more profound and personal: sexual orientation, physical abilities, intellectual aptitudes, psychological dispositions, creative capacities and many others. They might reveal more about an individual than skin pigmentation or country of origin can. These qualities lie along a spectrum as well. Is there an ideal place on each spectrum to reside? Maybe, and maybe not. Regardless, I suspect that none of us occupies those privileged places on every spectrum we possess anyway; we all have our strengths and shortcomings. We may be less comfortable around those whose qualities are at a very different place on the spectrum than our own, and that can contribute to a subtle feeling of alienation, even though we may respect them. Some types of diversity are harder to relate to than others.
There is, however, an even deeper level that reveals still more about us, and it includes our worldview, our values and our moral compass. These are ethical rather than aesthetic in nature and likely contribute the most to defining who we are as unique persons. We appear to have more control over these than the superficial aesthetic ones: we can choose our values in a way that we cannot choose the colour of our skin or our intellectual capabilities. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of diversity here as well. These areas are less obvious and we have a tendency to keep them more private, in part because they do divulge so much about ourselves and that can leave us feeling vulnerable. I suspect that those who you consider to be close friends are people who are very aligned with these same aspects of yourself far more than superficial things like skin colour or ethnicity. Ultimately, our most fulfilling and enduring relationships tend to have their foundations rooted in values and worldviews.
Because these issues are so intimate and reveal much of our innermost selves, we often struggle when trying to relate to people who have worldviews, values and moral compasses that are very different from ours. Those kinds of differences can feel much more intimidating than a foreign accent or alternative pigmentation. We may pride ourselves on being tolerant or even welcoming of aesthetic diversity, but we may draw a line in the sand when it comes to ethical diversity.
If we are honest about embracing meaningful diversity then we need to understand it better. Aesthetic qualities on their own seldom define, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., the ‘content of our character’. Our character—our moral values and the behaviours that flow from them—is what is responsible for how we treat one another. That should be of prime importance to all of us. It is in this realm of diversity that we most define the nature of the world we create and inhabit.
Because ethics is a complex endeavour which none of us has mastered, we would be wise to be open to new and better ways of respecting and treating one another. Ethical justifications lie along a spectrum from weak to strong, and we can always learn more about each spectrum. Diversity of thinking and reflection, combined with sincere dialogue, will help us to discover guidelines for the most ethically justifiable and universal code of conduct; what is morally permissible and what is not.
Which means that we should not tolerate a limitless diversity of behaviour in the same way that we might welcome limitless diversity in aesthetics. Since beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, our individual tastes can be quite personal. We cannot always explain or justify why some things are aesthetically pleasing to us; sexual interests and desires for material goods are prime examples. But we are expected to examine the actions that such aesthetic desires might encourage, and we are expected to control those impulses with respect to the rights of others. We should be able to agree among ourselves what ought not be foisted on others without their consent. In other words, we are free to like what we like and think what we think, but we are not free to do as we please with complete disregard for others. In a moral world, we need boundaries on diversity of action.
In the present climate we value freedom so much, and are so reluctant to ‘judge’, that we often fail to distinguish the aesthetic from the ethical. We should not confuse a person’s aesthetic qualities or preferences as necessarily equating to their character from a moral perspective. Equally, it is just as important to realize that if we proclaim certain actions as morally unacceptable, we should not conflate that with judging someone as a person.
Have there been times during the pandemic when we have been reluctant to explore the spectral nature of diversity, especially diversity of thought? Nature does not fear diversity, but it is amoral: plants and animals do not have the same capacity for moral thought as we do, so for them it is merely the hunter and the hunted. We need not fear diversity either, but as ethically capable creatures we must include moral diversity in our repertoire and we must understand how to put justifiable limits on it, particularly to protect the powerless and vulnerable.
The more we promote respectful dialogue the better we can utilize our diversity to build a better world. The diversity we seek should have an ethical foundation: how we treat one another in the context of establishing the common ground for being the best we can be. Once we have mastered that, we will realize that the rest is mostly window-dressing. There is a lot we can learn from one another about how to truly love if we are prepared to explore wider and deeper.
J. Barry Engelhardt MD (retired) MHSc (bioethics)
CAERS Health Intake Facilitator