Toleration

Tolerance, and tolerance is generally a Valid Leave and laissez-faire foreign beliefs, practices and customs. Colloquially, the recognition of equality is thus now often meant, however, goes beyond the actual term ( " tolerance ").

Tolerate the underlying verb was in the 16th century from the Latin tolerare ( " endure ", " bear " ) borrowed. The adjective tolerant in the sense of " tolerant, forgiving, generous, broad-minded " is since the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, occupied, as well as the counter- education intolerant, as " intolerant, no other opinion or belief are leaving than your own ."

The antonym of tolerance is intolerance, " intolerance " borrowed in importance in the 18th century from the French intolérance. As increasing the tolerance is acceptance, understanding attitude towards another person or their behavior.

Term spectrum

The concept of tolerance is found without consistent meaning in legal theory, political theory, sociology and ethics, in each case in connection with the handling and settlement of conflicts in social systems. Many decrees that in the history of (religious) minorities assurances regarding toleration are also referred to as the edicts of toleration.

According to the history of the idea of ​​tolerance, the term is often associated with the religious tolerance requirement. So the philosopher Max Muller considered tolerance as the mutual respect of the individual against the views on the " Last Things " and provides an anchor in the Christian commandment of love.

In the political and social tolerance range is also considered the response of a closed society and its binding value system against minorities with different beliefs that can not be integrated easily into the ruling system. As such, the tolerance protects an existing system, because although foreign conceptions noted, but are not necessarily accepted. However, the tolerance also protects the wearer a minority opinion against repression, and thus constitutes a basic condition for humanity. In these contexts, tolerance is also the precondition for a peaceful, theoretical debate about competing truth claims. The coined by Herbert Marcuse term repressive tolerance criticized the process that applies in a society with an unclear value pluralism, in tolerance as a norm, can remain rational and legitimate criticism ineffective.

In philosophy the problem of tolerance is linked to the question of truth and freedom: Is there "the truth" in the possession of individuals or groups and how it behaves with freedom as compared to the "truth" of reputation?

History of the idea of ​​tolerance

In the Roman Empire the conquered peoples religions were tolerated, provided they accepted the divine worship of the emperor as a unifying bond of the state. Since Christians did not, them was compared with no tolerance. It was not until the Edict of Galerius in 311 ended the persecution of Christians.

The Christian Middle Ages differed between unbelievers ( Jews and Gentiles ) and heretics. Only the former were tolerated, since access to the faith should not be enforced. Thus commanded Pope Gregory the Great in the year 602 tolerance for the Jews. Heretics, however, were to pursue, because they had fallen away from the already recognized truth again.

In Islam, was tolerance for other religions of the book, whose followers were regarded as civil protection ( dhimmi ) and had to pay a poll tax, but otherwise had relative autonomy.

The beyond mere tolerance ( " tolerance " ) beyond religious freedom requires a differentiation between Church and State in advance as well as a social pluralism, and is therefore subject to the modern era.

The first modern European Edict of Toleration was the the Confederation of Warsaw in 1573, which is considered the beginning of the state-guaranteed freedom of religion in Poland - Lithuania. As a precursor, may apply in the wake of the Smalcald War of Passau peace of 1552 and the Religious Peace of Augsburg of 1555.

The English philosopher John Locke conceived in 1667 in English, an essay, which appeared anonymously in 1689 in Latin under the title Epistola de tolerantia ( "Letter on Tolerance "). This was followed by two more in English Letter Concerning Toleration A Second ( 1690) and A Letter Concerning Toleration Third (1692 ). Locke argued for a certain toleration of different religious denominations, but not of atheism and limited Catholicism. In England was adopted in a similar sense in 1689 by the Parliament of the Toleration Act.

During the Enlightenment, the idea of ​​tolerance is the requirement of a tolerance of all faiths, the range of meanings the meaning of tolerance is also extended via the Religious addition, a general toleration think differently and actor. Thus, in Lessing's Nathan the Wise in 1779 to published drama the ring parable is considered a contemporary formulation of the idea of ​​tolerance, based on the three great monotheistic religions. In France, Voltaire made ​​in 1763 in his book Traité sur la tolérance ( "Treatise on the idea of ​​tolerance " ) to advocate a full faith and conscience.

At the beginning of the 19th century defined Brockhaus in the Conversations - Lexikon: " The tolerance - tolerance - ie the admission of individuals, or even entire societies, which think in consideration of religion differently than the dominant religion professing residents of a local or state. " and Goethe, in its collection of aphorisms, maxims and reflections: " Tolerance should really be only a temporary attitude: it must lead to recognition. Toleration means offending. "

The English philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill not used in the mid-19th century the notion of tolerance as a term, but spoke of religious tolerance in the traditional sense. However, his emphasis on individual freedoms is considered crucial to the idea of ​​tolerance and the extent of the significance framework: in particular, since Mill is not only spoken of tolerance in regard to the relationship between groups, but also in terms of groups of individuals and individuals to individuals.