Reaction to Fukuyama's "End of History"

I found Francis Fukuyama's lecture on The End of History to have the substance of a science fiction dystopia. First, Fukuyama'sconcept of a utopian society is one without culture, history, or scientific advancement. In his view, each culture is slowly being engulfed into a single world society where all live in piece in harmony and are not subjected to the constant upheaval of science. Religious and cultural singularity is the goal of this society, where each person thinks in exactly the same manner and therefore has no reason for war.

Cultural singularity leaves no room for the philosopher, the artist, and the revolutionary. I was reminded of a concept I recently read in Crime and Punishment, where Dostoevsky states that all great men are criminals because they have transgressed the cultural boundaries of their society. Men such as Fukuyama can only see the criminality of revolutionaries because they seek a world where everyone follows a singular ideal. Those who are not within the"moral universalism" would be weeded out and we would lose the great thinkers that form the substance of literature and philosophy.

Instead of embracing diversity, Fukuyama sees it as a means ofconflict. He chooses to completely ignore the intolerance and ignorance present in fundamentalist religion, seeing the rise of fundamentalism in America as a sign that we are achieving our goal of"moral universalism." In reality, a singular morality usually breeds intolerance towards diversity. Hatred towards Muslims, Atheists, and homosexuals is growing as they are increasingly seen as the "enemy"against a growing majority. This intolerance will only increase when the positive aspects of diversity are not addressed in our culture.

If Fukuyama sees the loss of history, art, science, and diversity a positive thing, he may continue to live in his shallow universe. Enough sci-fi has dealt with Fukuyama's idea to see theharm in a society where we are all automatons. His ironic statement that communism did not work because it was against human nature demonstrates his lack of critical thinking about his own idea. Personally, I embrace the diversity that makes us human and will continue to enjoy my world of cultural diversity.