Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been on my mind a lot, and I’ve been glad to see how much support there is for Ukraine. I suppose it’s clear to almost everyone that Russia’s (and especially Putin’s) actions are reprehensible, which seems to unite people from all across the political spectrum in rooting for Ukraine and against the Russian aggressors. Probably many, like me, have been glad to see that Ukraine has so far been able to defend its capital and even in some places to push the Russian army back.

In my last post, I noted how the war surprised many of us because we felt we were beyond such things, but I’ve also noticed that the war provides a bit of a rebuttal to the multiculturalism so popular in our day. In particular, especially in academia, there’s been a trend towards seeing all cultures as equally valid and equally deserving of affirmation. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

… proponents of multiculturalism find common ground in rejecting the ideal of the “melting pot” in which members of minority groups are expected to assimilate into the dominant culture. Instead, proponents of multiculturalism endorse an ideal in which members of minority groups can maintain their distinctive collective identities and practices.

In contemporary academia, I often hear this taken a good deal further than it’s put here – in particular, the argument is that modern Western culture is imperalistic, aggressive, and repressive, and we ought specifically to move away from Western culture and its tainted legacy. So, other cultures are good – but Western culture, and the associated capitalism, is bad.

Against this backdrop, the war in Ukraine may provide some correction. Here, a modern Western democracy is being invaded by a dictator who wants to bring Ukraine back to what he sees as its cultural roots, seeking to restore the glory Russia once had. But in this situation, I don’t hear anyone affirming Russia’s culture and its right to hold on to and fight for their beliefs. Instead, the world seems largely united in its outcry against Russian aggression, and united in believing the Russian people shouldn’t tolerate such behavior on behalf of their leadership.

Thus, there is tremendous outcry not only against Putin but against the Russian nation as a whole, with cancellations of Russian businesses, performers, and athletes, and many businesses pulling out of the country as a whole or refusing to sell there. If all cultures are equally valid and equally deserving of respect – even if that culture insists on invading a neighbor – why would we be so hard on the Russians?

Well, perhaps we DO believe in a real right and wrong, and no matter what Russian culture might say, or what Russian leaders might say, we believe it’s wrong for one country to invade another as Russia has done in this case, and especially to treat civilians as Russia is doing to the Ukrainian people. And perhaps the Ukrainians do have good reasons to want to be a modern, Western-style democracy and benefit from a largely free-market approach to economics, rather than being returned to Russian rule.

I don’t hold much hope that these events will bring academia to turn away from its obsession with multiculturalism, but perhaps the broader society will take this opportunity to notice that, while all cultures have their own strengths and weaknesses, some really are better than others when it comes to advancing freedom, liberty, and general human prosperity.