Beyond Multiculturalism
Toward A Humanist Universalism
Paul Kurtz
Two powerful, often contradictory forces are at work in the world today: On the one hand, there is the continuing movement for national liberation and the demand of ethnic minorities for the right to determine their own destinies. On the other hand, there are many countervailing tendencies emerging, contributing to the building of a world community. As we search for common ethical values a genuine humanist universalism may prevail.
The movement for self-determination may be viewed in some contexts as progressive, especially where it seeks to liberate minorities from oppression and provides some basis for democratic self-government. But it also can foment intense conflict. The turmoil in various parts of the world illustrates the powerful attraction of ethnic loyalties. Witness the breakup of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia into separate national republics; the split in Belgium between the Flemish- and French-speaking populations; and in Canada between the Quebecois and Anglo Canadians. One may feel that the movement for autonomy has some justice; but at the same time, it may engender extreme hatred and even bloodshed-as between Croatians and Serbs, Afrikaners and black South Africans, Palestinians and Jews, Armenians and Azerbaijanis. In Europe there is an outcry, particularly in Germany, Austria, and France, against recent immigrants and demands that they be expelled.
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