Does multiculturalism undermine the universal conceptions of justice?

Résumé du document

The Greek philosopher Plato believed in the existence of a parallel world which he called the world of Ideas. This world represented true knowledge with the help of concepts called ?the Ideas'. Each Idea corresponded to something that existed in the world that we experienced, also called ?the world of senses'. There were the Ideas of Good, Beauty, and Justice among others. The Ideas never changed, unlike our world of senses. They would exist forever and would always be the only truths in existence. The world of senses was in fact just the shadow of the world of Ideas, and it was the duty of men to try to be as close as possible to the Ideas. Today's world has changed a lot in the past few years and it is not rare to have different cultures living side by side in the same territory in developed countries. This new shape of society is thus characterized by the diversity of backgrounds, religions, traditions, and beliefs. Is it then possible to apply what one might call the Idea of Justice, or a universal conception of justice? The differences are numerous and give birth to multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is the belief that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can co-exist peacefully and equitably in one single country. The question that arises is if such co-existence is possible in reality. Can several different cultures obey to the same laws and be granted the same rights? Does multiculturalism undermine the universal conceptions of justice? To what extent are universal conceptions of justice compatible with multiculturalism in light of the act that different cultures have different values and that some even have different notions of what is right or wrong?

Extraits

[...] The state argued that it wished to avoid particularisms and limit them to the private sphere. What could justify one to say that, indeed, a different treatment could promote egalitarianism? According to some, it is necessary that within a state, different cultures should be given different rights accordingly. In Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights , Will Kimlicka argues that for most people the value of cultural membership is primordial and that they are willing to concede a lot in order not to lose their cultural identities. [...]

[...] This view of democracy not being an essential necessity was symbolized by the Tiananmen event of 1987 in Beijing, China: students were protesting, demanding more freedom of speech. They were violently massacred by PRC officials during the protest. In France, officials would not even think of mass murdering protesters! These examples show that the width of the gap between Western and Asian values can be very wide indeed, today still. They confirm that the promotion of diversity and the desire for equality and justice are not easily compatible. [...]

[...] This has brought sometimes very different cultures to live side by side that nevertheless have to obey the same rules: the rules of the country in which they are, whether it is theirs or not. In addition to that, there are countries where many different cultures have been living side by side for a very long time. It is the case for example of the United Kingdom . This state is made of several countries that each has its own cultures: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. [...]

[...] It makes man a being with a morality, and an individual with a personality. As long as they answer universal law (justice), men are free to make their own choices: freedom of choice of each can co-exist with everyone's freedom according to a universal . One could suggest therefore that multiculturalism is there to remind us that although our difference, we share a common feeling of humanity. Also, the new world in which we live today opens the future to a new perspective. [...]

[...] Does multiculturalism undermine the universal conceptions of justice? Seeing that different cultures have different values and that some have different notions of what is right or wrong, to what extent are universal conceptions of justice compatible with multiculturalism? I will first try to determine the main differences between cultures, and study in what way they may enter in conflict with a universal conception of justice. Then I will try to answer the question whether there really can be a universal conception of justice shared by all cultures. [...]