What is the “paradox of tolerance” and is it legit?
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In a nutshell it is a line of reasoning that tolerance of intolerance leads to a net loss of freedom. On its surface it sounds very reasonable.
The pragmatic issue with it is folks on both sides of most issues can equally invoke it. “You are intolerant of people who feel and think like I do” creates a really muddy view for the type of intolerance we as a society should be avoiding. Do we want to avoid intolerance of traditional values or avoid intolerance of progressive values or intolerance of those who deride the other side as inherently evil.
A really good example is the social revolution in Iran. I’m definitely with the progressives on this one but will put that aside for a moment. If I am a progressive I say the fundamentalists are showing intolerance of our rights to dress as we see fit. If I am a fundamentalist I say the progressives are showing intolerance of those who wish to live by traditional values and don’t wish to be exposed to indecency. Whatever side of the issue you start on, the paradox of tolerance is easily purposed for suppression of the other side. As such it generally isn’t a useful tool beyond justifying unsocial acts against people who hold other views.
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