The English philosopher and historian Isaiah Berlin pursued pluralism in contrast to monism, which emphasizes a single value, and made it his position. However, if we take it a step further, isn’t pluralism actually a kind of monism (“pluralism as monism”) in that it is a monolithic commitment to a plurality of values? Isn’t pluralism founded in the fact that pluralism itself is not to be doubted? It is also noteworthy that Berlin places freedom at a higher level, as a value that guarantees the possibility of choosing among a variety of values. Similarly, is it not monism toward diversity, rather than a desire for diversity in society, which means that any way of life is fine, even a way of life that denies diversity? If we can think of it that way, then there is no contradiction in the criticism of racist claims. Atsushi Sugita What does it mean to protect diversity?
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