Why is "diversity" automatically seen as being a "good thing"?

I mean, I can understand why biodiversity is important, but I'm speaking generally here. Would the world really end if everyone were basically the same, or at least similar in all the major attributes (like height, weight, intelligence)?

Update: A few people have mentioned the importance of genetic diversity, and yes, I agree with that, I agree that a case can be made for its importance, but I was thinking more along the lines of diversity in general, as a concept. People seem to just lazily assume it to be a "good thing", and very few seem to question whether, for example (and this is just an example), a diverse workplace is inherently good. Why is that? Why the unquestioning acceptance of an idea that hasn't really even been defined properly?

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jademonkey19 · 41-45, T

I'm a capitalist and a business owner.

Diversity is important for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost, it's good for business. Having lots of perspectives in a room helps you understand how to connect with and market to different communities; it also helps you understand what needs they may have so you can offer goods and services that appeal to them.

It's good for the exact same reason. biodiversity is good.

Beyond that, diversity in hiring is also important because it helps us get the best talent; it challenges us to abandon our assumptions about who is the best fit for the job. You might not think of a veteran as a natural fit for working in IT, for example, but a career in military offers a lot of discipline and structure that doesn't come naturally to many IT folks.

All those businesses that canceled their DEI initiatives? Most of them just rebranded. DEI is foundational to being competitive in the corporate world.

It is, very generally, just flat out a good thing. It makes you money, it makes your company more agile, and it encourages new approaches to old problems that might not occur to you if you keep hiring the same cookie cutter employees.

The anti-DEI stuff is culture war nonsense.