Misconceptions of culture and perversions of multiculturalism

Current practices of multicultural education are based on some unsound conceptions of the nature of culture. Especially unsound is the notion of cultural relativism which claims that it is inappropriate for a given culture to be judged by the standards of other cultures. But all cultures can and should be judged by the standard of how well they allow their members to adapt to the circumstances in which they exist. These circumstances include nature and, increasingly, other cultures. The core error is the belief that cultures are integrated systems, which is based on an organic metaphor which discourages piece-meal criticism and leads to a romantic embrace of the totality of a culture. Rather than fostering an identity with, and celebration of, dysfunctional cultures, multiculturalism should encourage maximum interaction of all elements of a society and the forging of an emergent pluralism.