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Posts Tagged ‘John Stuart Mill’

How tolerant are you? How do you respond to people who are very different from you? I have never thought of tolerance as an idea, but it is among the 50 Ideas You Really Need to Knowthat Ben Dupre included in his book. This made me think that tolerance would be a good idea to explore on The Invisible Mentor and see where it leads. Intolerance has been the root cause of may conflicts in our world, both religious and non-religious. It’s interesting to discover that the debate over the idea of tolerance has been going on for centuries. This demonstrates how important this concept is, and how difficult it is for people to tolerate and accept those who are different. I do not have any answers for you, but I have provided some thoughts for you reflect on.

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Ben Dupre in 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas) when discussing the idea of tolerance, talks about the Paradox of Toleration:

“Much of the difficulty concerning the concept of tolerance is caused by a troublesome paradox that lies at its core. Broadly speaking, tolerance is a disposition to put up with with things (or people) of which one disapproves, in situations where one has the capacity to intervene but chooses not to. The disapproval involved can lie anywhere on a spectrum from mild distaste to strong aversion and the level of tolerance is proportionate  to the degree of disapproval…”

According to Voltaire, a French writer, philosopher and playwright, “…I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.” Born in the late 17th century (November 21, 1694 –May 30,1778), Voltaire whose real name was François-Marie Arouet, was a man ahead of his time. An advocate of social reform and civil liberties: freedom of religion and free trade, he used his works to criticize intolerance, and the above quote by Voltaire shows that he understood the idea of tolerance and the importance of freedom of expression.

In Voltaire’s The Philosophical Dictionary, he starts off his essay on Tolerance:

“WHAT is tolerance? it is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly–that is the first law of nature. It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster…”

7 Thoughts on the Idea of Tolerance

1. Pardon each other’s errors; discord is the great ill of mankind; and tolerance is the only remedy for it. (Philosophical Dictionary – Tolerance)
2. Be tolerant of one another, because we are all weak, inconsistent, liable to fickleness and error. (Philosophical Dictionary - Tolerance)
3. Respect human autonomy – the capacity that allows individuals  to make their own choices in life. (On Liberty, John Stuart Mill)
4. People are allowed  to do and think what they like, provided their actions and beliefs do not harm others.
5. It is imperative that human beings should be free to form opinions, and to express their opinions without reserve…Opinions lose their immunity, when the circumstances in which they are expressed are such as to constitute their expression a positive instigation to some mischievous act. (On Liberty, John Stuart Mill)
6. The toleration of those that differ from others in matters of religion is so agreeable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the genuine reason of mankind, that it seems monstrous for men to be so blind as not to perceive the necessity and advantage of it in so clear a light. (Letter Concerning Toleration, John Locke)
7. According to the United Nations‘ Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, “Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, conscience,  and belief. Tolerance is harmony in difference…”

Many of the thoughts on tolerance are similar, which helps to emphasize the importance of the concept? What changes can you make at work and home to become more tolerant? Do you agree with the enlightened thinkers – Voltaire, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill on their take on tolerance? If we were more tolerant of each other, would there be less conflicts in the world? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

Here is a short YouTube video on the Museum of Tolerance Promotion.

If you cannot view the YouTube video on the Museum of Tolerance Promotion, click here.

Further Readings

Letter Concerning Toleration, John Locke

On Liberty, John Stuart Mill

The Philosophical Dictionary, Voltaire

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Related articles

• Toleration vs. Acceptance (gameofroles.wordpress.com)