ABSTRACT
The debate over multiculturalism is rooted in two major conflicts over values, the more obvious being the difference between equal opportunity and equality of result, and the less obvious between modernity and objectivity. Of course, if universities merely privilege the appearance of knowledge by calling it "objective," when there is no such thing, then it is no great loss or may even be a gain to de-privilege this false objectivity. A belief in the importance of subjectivity does not necessarily negate the existence of objectivity, that is, the effort to come to a closer, better, less subjective understanding. Subjectivity already has considerable standing in social science. Subjectivism is a necessary aspect of science, social science, and the humanities; it is also a snare if it becomes a substitute for seeking truth. The natural sciences proceed in significant part by way of "impossibility theories" devoted to stating what cannot happen according to known principles.
