The Philosopher Who Showed Canadians How to Talk to One Another

How Charles Taylor's Ideas About Dialogue and ‘Deep Diversity’ Helped Keep a Country Together

Charles Taylor has been widely recognized for his contributions to philosophy, sociology, history, political science, and linguistics. But to Canadians he has given something more: A way to communicate and live together while negotiating our ethical relationships as citizens of a federation. This is important in Canada, because we are not only Anglophone or Francophone Canadians but also more deeply and differently diverse citizens of nations such as Québécois or Cree or Dene—each with a different language, historical experience, and laws. This diversity, much deeper than multiculturalism, has threatened to …