[ExI] Tolerance

Stefano Vaj stefano.vaj at gmail.com
Sun Dec 6 21:42:05 UTC 2009


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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