The Unfinished Project

Addressing the question of whether community is possible within culturally diverse societies, this work traces the debate through the works of Arnold, Herder, Adorno, Habermas and others and proposes an alternative that bridges cultural differences without erasing them.

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As humanity becomes increasingly interconnected through globalization, the question of whether community is possible within culturally diverse societies has returned as a principal concern for contemporary thought. Lorenzo Simpson charges that the current discussion is stuck at an impasse-between postmodernism's fragmented notions of cultural difference and humanism's homogeneous versions of community. Simpson proposes an alternative-one that bridges cultural differences without erasing them. He argues that we must establish common aesthetic and ethical standards incorporating sensitivity to difference if we are to achieve cross-cultural understanding.