POLI2617 · Political Science

Tolerance: Theory and Practice

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Tolerance is an indispensable political virtue in liberal democracies. Without it, pluralistic societies like our own would be unable to deescalate internal conflicts across political, religious, cultural, racial, and ethnic dividing lines. However, our strong belief in the need for the practice of tolerance is not matched by a corresponding theoretical certainty. Despite the widespread discussions of the idea since it gained prominence in the early modern period, tolerance has remained a notoriously elusive concept. In this course, we will trace various historical and intellectual paths that have led to our current understanding and practice of tolerance. Starting from Aristotle's Ethics, the New Testament, and St. Augustine's City of God, we will carefully study the arguments by classic advocates (such as Pierre Bayle, John Locke, and Voltaire) and pay special attention to past and present critics (such as St. Augustine, Immanuel Kant, and Wendy Brown).