“We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. […] This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.” President Barack Obama

Today, everything is to be questioned, every topic is subject to debate. In itself this is a rather positive development, as it encourages awareness and thirst for knowledge. This movement however has radicalized, we now live in an “anti-“biased society where there can be no evident truth unless proven by science. This naïve overconfidence in science has far-reaching results: Those fields where science cannot prove anything, predominantly ethics and religion, are viciously attacked, and values that have upheld human society for more than 2000 years begin to tumble. There is no consensus on ethical questions and rarely is the other’s argument even heard. With the goal of facilitating communication and reaching practical agreements, and by making a genuine attempt to understand the other’s side of an issue, while not abandoning one’s own principles, ethical issues can indeed be transformed and we can potentially move past the dilemmas of ethical conflicts. This will be undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of our time.

Whereas relativism is modern term, skepticism has been used since classical Greece. One could summarize this philosophical school in two words: diversity and relativity; diversity of opinions and relativity of human knowledge. While in theory it is possible to be a relativist, it is impossible in practice because a relativist admits millions of truths every day: his work, his family, friends… Without truth life is impossible. Those who deny universal truths do not realize their ambiguity. The biographers of David Hume have written, that Hume ceased to be a skeptic the moment he left his office.

It is obvious that opinions on a certain subject might and must differ, this however, does not imply that there can be no truth. In fact the only way to discover truth is by contrasting different views and gradually isolating it. By accepting that there are many ways to discovering truth, the validity of other’s opinions and that every discovery along the paths to achieve it, as tiny as those fragments might be, contributes to the infinite puzzle of truth, is not relativist, for it denies human progress, but pluralist.

In my opinion the true power of Pluralism can be seen in many countries around the world. In our rapidly spinning, globalized world, immigration is no longer a punctual phenomenon, border are no longer borders, the movements of citizens are almost impossible to restrict and gradually cultures begin to amalgamate. This integrative process and its fruits can be observed in almost all industrialized countries, but nowhere better than in the US: The promise at the heart of America embodies the thought of a pluralistic society, embracing its pluralistic origins, and fostering its pluralistic future.

“E Pluribus, Unum” (Out of many, one) is the universally known phrase on the Seal of the United States. Unum, one, does not stand for uniformity, but rather for the common bond of diverse people of different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds and their commitment to create a stronger more unified society under one flag. These inconspicuous words are often overlooked, but they represent much more than just a simple idea. They embody the very dreams of the founding fathers: to unify what was once diverse. This dream is anchored in the U.S. Constitution, in the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance: “One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”.

Come and be yourself, contribute to the ‘orchestra’ of the American society. This message is precisely what has made America the Superpower it is today, because it is the combination of diverse cultures that act as one. This message is what drove thousands to the shores of Ellis Island decades ago and continues to do so day after day.

Pluralism is strong force, and an ambivalent one in the minds of the public. It can be productive, building bridges across cultures and religions achieving unprecedented results, such as the establishment of a Tri-Faith Campus in Omaha, NE, where Christians, Muslims and Jews come together to pray in their respective places of worship. Nowhere else can Pluralism be seen at work than in America, and nowhere else can its destructive force be felt: hate campaigns, violence; there are deep structural fractures between blacks, whites, different religions and ethnic groups etc.

Pluralism is more than a descriptive word, more than the sheer fact of diversity (that is plurality), it requires strength, courage, participation and engagement. In his inauguration speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2008 President Obama gives us a wonderful example of how we must tackle conflicts. Where others see unsolvable conflicts between two fronts, he sees potential. Because even without abandoning one’s principles there are common grounds to be found. One can be for or against abortion, but in both factions there must be people that can agree to a common goal of reducing unwanted pregnancies.

If we were all to engage in a productive dialogue to solve the issues that divide society, we could soon live in a better, more unified, more social and more human world. I believe that deep down, no matter who you are, we all share one dream. A dream that has never been expressed more vivid, more precise and more honest than in Martin Luther King’s world-famous speech, “I Have A Dream”, delivered on the 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C.:

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” […]

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”