Jorge Luis Borges Inspires Reflection on Fear of Difference

In an essay titled “El miedo a lo diferente,” Argentine writer Hernando María Linari uses the imagery of Jorge Luis Borges’s invisible knives to explore how societies develop a pervasive fear of the “other.” He links this paranoia to historical examples such as Rome’s pre‑emptive wars and argues that such fear fuels discrimination against migrants, people with disabilities, and the vulnerable. Linari cites French philosopher Paul Ricoeur to illustrate how imagined threats silence dialogue and justify exclusion, urging a move toward empathy rather than pre‑emptive hostility.

The piece, published in Ecuador, frames the fear of difference as a recurring myth that undermines social cohesion and calls for a more inclusive approach to diversity.