Offense is the Best Defense: Dissimilar Diversity

Diversity is a term applied to a wide range of situations. So it is important to begin with a commonsense yet universal definition of the term.

Diversity is a lack of a monoculture, where there is acceptance of - though not adherence to - differing points of view and physical characteristics. Each of the main branches of diversity - ideas and physical characteristics - has serious difficulties with quantification.

Physical characteristics include "race", gender, and disabilities. Attempts to quantify the degree of diversity of these characteristics have had mixed results. The most common technique is to compare the ratio of people with certain physical characteristics in a sample group with the ratio in the population as a whole. Unfortunately, this type of quantification tends to concentrate efforts on the ratio and avoid considering underlying causes. Inequality of opportunity results in inequality of outcome; trying to fix the ratios after the fact simply creates further injustice (by ignoring merit) while still allowing the underlying injustice to continue.

The diversity of ideas is difficult to quantify. Is opinion Y being suppressed, or is it simply rejected? Given the changeability of opinions and beliefs, strict quantification is impossible. A qualitative assessment may be achieved: How does the community deal with unpopular or uncommon ideas or behaviors? For example, a diverse society based on capitalism could accept the presence of a socialist commune while not sharing its goals or ideals.

Regardless of the difficulties in quantifying "diversity", it is something to strive for. Humanity tends towards monoculture, whether through brute force or through assimilation and co-optation. Both types of diversity promote adaptability and unconventional approaches. They give the appearance of inefficiency, but that is an error of scale. In the long term, diversity promotes efficiency. This may take the form of new, exciting solutions to old problems or through resilience and adaptability in the face of new threats.

The Irish Potato famine is a case example. With a near-monoculture food source, the Irish were ill suited to dealing with the unexpected threat of the potato blight. A diverse food source – which was the case during later infestations of the potato blight – minimizes damages. This analogy holds in both the physical world and the world of ideas, in government and in the private sector. Diversity is the way we ensure our society will be able to overcome threats that could otherwise lead to cultural death.