Diversity May Be More Conservative Than You Think

After appointing a string of white males to cabinet positions in 2013, President Obama virulently defended his commitment to diversity within the Oval Office. Months later, ABC released a poll questioning the nation’s commitment to a diverse legislature. In April 2014, the Washington Post released an article urging the Supreme Court to encourage diversity in American colleges. Across the board, the commitment to diversity is definitely a national priority.

This commitment is widely recognized in the political sphere as a liberal concept. Considering our immediate history, this is understandable. Liberals were the ones who moved us out of the era of slavery. As more and more immigrants came to America in the late 19th century, liberals encouraged reforms that stood up for foreigners who were mistreated in the workplace. Diversity seems to be something that liberals have always championed.

Yet if we look at the Western tradition that conservatives uphold, we see an incredible diversity of thought. Thinkers from the Mediterranean, Middle East, Western Europe, North America, and Africa have all interacted and contributed to this rich canon. If anyone recognizes the importance of diversity, it should be the conservative.

Which of the two modes of thought, then, is most friendly to diversity? I think the best way to answer this question is to look at how each ideology views equality.

The left favors an equality of conditions, where all citizens share the same wealth, ability, status, etc. As this is not the natural state of humanity, the solution requires government policies like regulation of wages and transfer of wealth. In 1835, French author Alexis de Tocqueville realized that this view of equality could not be sustained, writing, “As citizens become more equal and alike, the penchant of each to believe blindly a certain man or class diminishes.” Any individuals or classes detracting from the majority are not welcomed in a purely egalitarian society.

If this is the predominant view that the liberal takes, then diversity cannot spring naturally from his proposed policies. One would therefore expect the liberal to find some way to promote diversity artificially through policies and programs, rather than let it silently contribute through natural means. This is exactly what we see today.

On the other hand, the conservative favors an equality of opportunity, encouraging liberty, free markets, and an impartial justice system. This approach encourages diversity as individuals freely live their lives. As long as we are all equal in opportunity, we welcome diversity as a doorway to innovation and improvement in ourselves and our society.

The conservative approach is superior in two ways. First, it requires liberty, free markets, and an impartial justice system in order to function, rather than a plethora of government policies. Second, because it promotes freedom, it allows for diversity to spring naturally as different ideas interact and enhance our society. This model of diversity is superior to anything that the government—or the liberal—advocates today.