Tolerance towards the public
Hello Rabbi Michael,
Today I finished your book 'Truth and Unstable' (after consecutively reading the two previous books) and I would like to thank you for all the richness you have given me and for opening up new directions of thought in many fields.
I want to ask about your perception of tolerance. On pages 342-343, you wrote that tolerance is granted only to those who have researched and formulated a position based on reference to other opinions. Does this condition also apply in the public sphere? I find it difficult to think that when we want to discuss tolerance towards a certain public, we should examine who from this public has researched and who has not researched and sort them out. Isn't it more reasonable to adopt tolerance towards any position that is not harmful, out of a provision of autonomy, without examining whether the individual has really researched?
Tolerance towards a public is indeed more problematic, but there are different levels of tolerance. I will not respect the opinions of such a public (unless those leading it have examined the positions and formulated an informed position), but I will generally not force it on them (even if I could). As a rule, force is not recommended in most cases, even if it is justified. In my remarks I discuss the justification for force, but even in cases where it is justified I do not necessarily recommend taking this path.
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