ABSTRACT
In recent decades, the expression ‘multiculturalism’ has been widely discussed and has taken on many meanings. But a spectre has haunted this discussion. Cultures are complex, changing and dynamic. Yet when we speak of multiculturalism, there is an enormous temptation to think of cultures as more or less coherent wholes, each with its own distinctive integrity that distinguishes it from other cultures—whether we think of this difference in an anthropological, religious, political or ethnic manner. Individuals living within a given culture frequently feel that they gain their deepest sense of identity as members of it. So the problem of multiculturalism becomes how we are to think about cultures and how to deal practically with different cultures when there are serious conflicts. These conflicts become especially acute when members of cultures think that their values and beliefs are incommensurable with each other. The spectre that haunts these controversies is incommensurability. I want to examine why the talk about incommensurability became so popular in the later part of the twentieth century—and why I believe that the concept, used uncritically, has pernicious consequences when dealing with multiculturalism. I propose to do so by exploring some of the philosophical sources of incommensurability.
