There has been much discussion for years, as there has been in recent days, about the meaning and importance of diversity, which, however, should never be confused with difference and divergence. They are three words in opposition to each other. The debate on diversity is interesting because it is a debate that concerns everyone and that affects the present and future relevance of liberal and libertarian thought.
The words difference, divergence and diversity are all nouns indicating dissimilarity or variation, or a condition, state or quality of not being similar, the same or together. To understand how the words are different and how they are used, look at the definitions and examples of each:
Difference
1 : the quality that makes one person or thing different from another.
Example: The difference between houses is that one is red and the other is blue.
2 : something about which people disagree
Example: The boys had too many differences and could not remain friends.
3 : the amount of differences between things
Example: There is a two-year age difference between the sisters.
Divergence
1 : an act or instance of estrangement or separation
Example: The road and the river ran parallel with only a short divergence near the centre of the town.
2 : a departure from a path or direction
Example: The company’s divergence from its usual marketing strategy shocked consumers.
Diversity
1 : the quality or status of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.
Example: They quickly found a solution due to the diversity of ideas presented during the meeting.
2 : the status of having people of different race or culture in a group or organization.
Example: The cultural and racial diversity of the students enriched the educational environment of the school.
Although they are similar, we can see that each word has a slightly different meaning from the other two.
- The central meaning of difference is that something is different from something else in some way.
- The central meaning ofdivergence is that two or more things, ideas, opinions or actions are moving apart or becoming unlike.
- The central meaning of diversity is that in an area, group or organization there are many dissimilar or non-similar forms, types or ideas.
Diversity and difference have different meanings for different people.
It is essential to consider:
- People from racial backgrounds
- Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community
- People from different socio-economic backgrounds (the term socio-economic describes the differences between people’s social class and financial situation).
- People with physical disabilities
- People with autism or learning difficulties
At the other hand, diversity cannot be understood without first defining equality. For the two concepts are united and inseparable.
But equals are different, by definition. Diversity of culture, character, taste, aptitude and ingenuity are the obvious expression of our equality. They are the sign that equality lives in diversity. And that we don’t need to find shared values, as we hear repeated every which way, but to find the coexistence of different values too: values that allow us to live together in spite of diversity, to live together in spite of and thanks to our differences.
We are equal because we are different. We have diversities and not differences. No difference is acceptable because differences produce inequality. Diversity, on the other hand, is mutually and reciprocally nourished by the diversity of others. And so, while differences divide and create inequality, diversity unites and enriches the community. The principle of equality, therefore, protects the diverse and combats differences. Equality is synonymous with cohesion and diversity, i.e. the exact opposite of a homologizing view of the social fabric and people.
Homologues are those who have no diversity, but live flattened and crushed in their identity and sameness. Always identical to itself. Full of differences, but homologous. Being diverse in equality makes one strong and homogeneous. While the lack of diversity makes one weak and homologous. Homologation creates mass and ‘making mass’ not a positive concept, not even in physics. There is an old Woody Allen quote that says: ‘I would never want to belong to a club that accepted among its members someone like me’. It is a praise of diversity and, at the same time, it is also a praise of the principle of equality. Because if being different leads to exclusion, then difference, i.e. injustice, is created.
Equality is inclusive and includes diversity within itself, inequality is exclusionary and, in fact, excludes those who are different.
The principle of equality does not admit differences. Equality is the fight against injustice and differences. And the fight against injustice does not accept vetoes on persons or peoples, does not allow arbitrary exclusions and is incompatible with any obscurantism, fanaticism or prohibitionism. Equality is a right. Indeed, it is the Right. And he who does not respect the rights of others automatically loses his own.
The fight against injustice is the fight for respect for the person, for respect for the equality of people even in their diversity, for the recognition of the rights and, at the same time, the duties of each person. But diversity is not a value, equality is the value of diversity.