The Common-Ground Message of E Pluribus Unum

I was dismayed to read the glib suggestion by Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80 to reframe E Pluribus Unum (Princetonians, December issue).

It is simplistic to view unity and diversity as two sides of a coin, or yin and yang. A deeper understanding of “From Many, One” (which is similar to the national motto of Indonesia) would compare the two elements to childhood and adulthood, reflecting the historical transition from 13 Colonies to United States. We start from the obvious diversity of being unique human beings and distinct communities, then move toward the unity of agreeing on fundamental principles (innocent until proven guilty; one adult citizen, one vote; etc.).

I’ve lived and traveled in several countries and found that the conflation of unity and unanimity is widespread even among highly educated people. Unanimity is often an expression of conformity, with or without pressure. Unity is an expression of transcending our subjective viewpoint, finding common ground that links all of us by virtue of our single human nature.