What is virtuous about tolerance? What is dangerous about tolerance?

Question

What IS tolerance, in your opinion?
Can tolerance ever become intolerance?

Answer 1

Tolerance is being willing to deal with people whose beliefs differ from yours, so long as they do not victimize anyone. Tolerance is virtuous in that it allows a pluralistic society to develop without requiring everyone buy into almost identical values. It is dangerous when we forget that some ideas lead to victimization, such as racism or sexism.

Tolerance can be intolerance when it becomes "political correctness" with no limitations. When someone's opinion about a different religion, when stated without malice, is called racism or hatred.

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Answer 2

This is a good question

I think its a good idea to be as tolerant as you possibly can, and not let fear over rule you.

Often intolerance is only fear.

It can be like a cancer in society. One person becomes afraid of the unknown, another race, a disabled person, someone form out of town,even.

When someone catches the "bug", it often becomes contagious, affect people around the surrounding society.

Its often easier and safer to join say racists, than to take a stand.

And even non racists can become intolerant to racists. This is when you get societal problems.

Its insidious, and becomes an ongoing problem of suspicion and counter- suspicion

Answer 3

Tolerance is putting on dirty clothes when clean ones are available.
When you tolerate the intolerable the intolerant become the tyrants. There is no virtue in tolerance, it only subjugates the tolerant to the intolerable.

Answer 4

As they say, be tolerant but be intolerant of intolerance.

You can't define virtue without using circular logic. "Living and let live" is virtuous simply because it is. You could reason that it promotes a healthy and happy society, but that wouldn't prove it as a virtue. A virtue is self-evident, more or less.

It's dangerous when it's used as a mantra to justify unjustifiable pacifism. For example, tolerance of violence is not really "live and let live".

Answer 5

Tolerance without discrimination is indeed dangerous. Should you tolerate strychnine in your food? Modern people have done a great disservice to logic by playiing games with the language. Political Correctness is DANGEROUS!

Answer 6

Tolerance today means that we accept people regardless of what they do or believe. I am considered intolerant because I do not accept the evil people do.

Answer 7

Tolerance is what is causing American Indians to want to out law the term Squaw. And what is causing ppl not to want to say or use the term ******. And what is causing everyone to be afraid to speak their own mind. It is what is causing us to be afraid to tell a cab driver he has to pick up everyone or go get another job.

IT'S NUTS, NUTS, NUTS, NUTS,

THEY HAVE GONE TO FAR, WITH THIS CRAZY TOLERANCE THING.