On Tolerance

Different people have different ideas as to the meaning – and virtue – of tolerance. I will make distinctions as to what I believe should be tolerated and what shouldn’t.

With people – including people who are in no way like yourself – yes. As I learned when I was in Amway, you never know who will have something valuable to offer. The Bible talks about the stone the builders rejected becoming a chief cornerstone. The people who make original contributions are people who differ from others in how they think, which means that many people will see them as freaks or worse. And yet it is these people who contribute the most.

With lies and errors, no. Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions. I do not recommend censoring wrong beliefs, but they can and should be vigorously refuted.

With cultures, it is more complex. Most cultures have some things right with them and some things wrong with them. I see no reason at all to respect a culture that thinks it rightful to throw sulfuric acid into the face of a child for going to school. However neither do we benefit from a rigid monoculture. Black people, Jews, Chinese, Hindus and any number of others make vast contributions to the Western civilization, and they do so to a greater extent than if they had simply assimilated.

So people – including the “freaks” - should be tolerated; wrongful beliefs should not be tolerated; and cultures should be supported where they are doing the right thing and confronted where they are doing the wrong thing.

And it is important to make this distinction, as there is a vast difference among the three.