[ExI] Tolerance

[Giulio Prisco (2nd email)]

I agree, of course, on extending tolerance to everyone. This is,
however, a private opt-in list, and spamming it with religious
propaganda should only be tolerated up to a certain extent.

I certainly tolerate fundamentalist atheists, in the sense that I
affirm their right to think whatever they like to think. On the other
hand, I think many of them have shed religion only to fall into
another fundamentalist faith. Both theist and atheist fundamentalists
have a right to speak their mind, of course, but I am not very
interested in discussing with them in their terms.

G.

On Sun, Dec 6, 2009 at 10:42 PM, Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com> wrote:
> The threads on militant atheism and on ExI-chat moderation have made
> me think once more about tolerance and freedom of speech.
>
> Let me say that as a matter of personal taste I am strongly inclined
> towards tolerance and dialogue, and have an active dislike for easy
> outrages and obstracisms. On the other hand, I realise that whatever
> vague high ground "tolerance" may claim over its enemies, *it
> immediately vanishes when it does not extend to alleged
> "intolerants".*
>
> Ultimately, in the famous Saint-Just's say "Pas de liberté pour les
> ennemis de la liberté" the "liberté" does risk to become quickly
> little more than a rhetoric definition of the political regime where
> Saint Just's friends, rather than Louis XVI's friends, are in power.
> Both being certainly ready to recognise the freedom of their partisans
> (to support them), but neither willing to extend the courtesy to their
> opponents.
>
> But things become more complicate when one is tempted to put higher
> demands on those who basically are supposed to share one's own camp.
> In this respect, many of us are ready to accept, or at least to
> tolerate, discourses and behaviours by, say, religious fundamentalists
> or bioluddites with which no compromise is conceivable and where
> perhaps a more clear-cut stance would be required; while radical or
> aggressive or debatable positions by transhumanists or atheists are
> often met with a much, much less understanding and/or respectful
> attitude even though it is by no means obvious that they are entitled
> to anything less.
>
> Thus, e.g., if we must be indulgent with young christians and
> sectarians trying to preach their creed and to disparage the
> unfaithful, I would be reluctant not to extend the same treatment to
> atheists who feel like doing just the same.
>
> --
> Stefano Vaj
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>



-- 
Giulio Prisco
http://cosmeng.org/index.php/Giulio_Prisco
aka Eschatoon Magic
http://cosmeng.org/index.php/Eschatoon