The embrace of plurality : openness to the other as a foundational public norm

Abstract

Plurality and difference are ubiquitous realities in almost every modern-day society, including South Africa. This heterogeneity, and the often-accompanying fragmentation, significantly complicate social coexistence to the point where it even challenges the political, in that it pushes against the unity and cohesion required for the flourishing of political societies. It weakens and undermines the development of broad social trust and the establishment of a strong civic culture in its communities. Merely suppressing diversity and requiring all to be assimilated to a single culture is not viable however, for it inevitably leads to a society characterised by exclusion, marginalisation and oppression. Only by recognising an open, accommodating ethos towards the other as a foundational public norm can we hope to establish a political order in which we can live well and flourish in the midst of diversity.