Unity in Diversity

Unity in diversity is a concept of 'unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation' that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance of physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and/or psychological differences towards a more complex unity based on an understanding that difference enriches human interactions.

"Unity in diversity" is a popular motto within and among nation states, and also in political and social movements.

The idea and related phrase is very old and dates back to ancient times in both Western and Eastern Old World cultures. The concept of unity in diversity was used "in non-Western cultures such as indigenous peoples in North America and Taoist societies in 400–500 B.C. In premodern Western culture it has been implicit in the organic conceptions of the universe that have been manifest since the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations through medieval Europe and into the Romantic era."

In 1938, in his book The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh,Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, said that "unity in diversity" was the "watchword" for the religion.

Adélard Godbout, while Premier of Quebec, published an article entitled "Canada: Unity in Diversity" (1943) in the Council on Foreign Relations journal. He asked,

The motto of the province of Saskatchewan, adopted in 1986, is a variation, Multis e gentibus vires (from many peoples, strength).

In the message Meher Baba's Final Declaration. He stated "Unity in the midst of diversity can be made to be felt only by touching the very core of the heart. This is the work for which I have come. I have come to sow the seed of love in your hearts so that, in spite of all superficial diversity which your life in illusion must experience and endure, the feeling of oneness through love is brought about amongst all the nations, creeds, sects and castes of the world."

The term was used by a group of academics who formed the Interdisciplinary Research Seminar at Wilfrid Laurier University with a sense of community in mind (p. xvi) working to develop practical wisdom through interdisciplinary activity as opposed to the trend towards fragmentation and ever narrowing specializations in academia. Ervin Laszlo presented his paper entitled "Framework for a General Systems Theory of World Order" (1974) as one of the first seminar Papers that led to the establishment of the IRS in 1975.

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