#Political Science #Multiculturalism #Normative Philosophy #MacroEconomics
Introduction
Among the myriad types of diversity, cultural diversity is chosen because of its breadth of inclusion, encompassing differences in language, myths, visions of good life, collective memories, traditions, institutions, and so on (Parekh, 2000). A general trend is that these dimensions historically evolve through a process similar to natural selection, thus forming dominant cultural groups and relatively minor groups (Rogers, 2008). As a result, members of minority cultural groups face barriers in pursuing their civil rights and social practices as they go through a process of social marginalization. This encodes controversy in the diversity’s dynamics of pros and cons.
During the Civil Rights Era (1950s–60s), the term “diversity,” rooted in humanitarian Enlightenment literature, was used by activists like Martin Luther King Jr., who demanded equal rights, desegregation, and racial justice under the U.S. Constitution. From the post-1980s and into the Biden era, “diversity” became institutionalized in hiring quotas and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives—often celebrated as means to promote equal and fair opportunities, but sometimes criticized for “virtue signaling” (Pinder-Amaker & Wadsworth, 2023)—that is, performative but ultimately empty displays of moral goodness. Specifically, Donald Trump’s recent Executive Orders 14151 and 11246 condemned similar DEI initiatives as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” and a form of “public waste.” (Bunn, 2025). We’ve come to the predicament where “diversity” has become a term encompassing political polarization between the Republican and Democratic parties in the US. However, this essay intends to strip the political connotations attached to the word and compare the costs and benefits of diversity when applied to independent firms, domestic, and international contexts.
This essay argues that cultural diversity possesses instrumental value in three ways. It promotes economic prosperity via enhancement of the economy’s resilience and productivity; it fosters political stability if applied to the right framework; and normatively, it helps realize justice and liberty in society.