Hence we have been surprised and troubled by the recent sharp upswing in religious fundamentalism. The parallel between Jewish and Moslem fanatics in the Middle East has often been noted, and fundamentalist Christianity is also on the rise, along with a myriad of lesser sects all over the world. This rhetoric reflects in counterpoint the fuzzy ecumenism of cosmopolitan society. The flaccidity of the peace of compromise is shown up by the voice of militancy. Although they even now appear to the naive as unfortunate contradictions, Western thought ever since Heracleitus has recognized the inevitability of such tensions.
Universalism generates particularism .
The unity of the global village is accompanied by the disunity of intensified tribalism. There is no absolute meta-rule that obliges us to play by the rules that govern the world marketplace. What sells in the market is rather what resists than what follows its anticipation, and this resistance is made easier by the reinforcement provided by one's neighbors. But even economically backward communities are reinforced in their particularity by the very visibility of the forces arrayed against them. Perhaps we should begin by recognizing the overweening arrogance implicit in such a question.