Toleration Flashcards
What does pluralism mean?
A belief in diversity or choice, or the theory that political power is or should be widely and evenly dispersed.
What is toleration?
Forbearance; a willingness to accept views or action with which one is in disagreement.
What is autonomy?
Literally, self-government; the ability to control one’s own destiny by virtue of enjoying independence from external influences.
What did the French writer Voltaire say?
‘I detest what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it’
How is toleration both an ethical ideal and a social principle?
On the one hand, it represents the goal of personal autonomy; on the other, it establishes a set of rules about how human beings should behave to one another.
When did the liberal case for toleration emerge and by who?
The liberal case for toleration first emerged in the seventeenth century in the attempt by writers such as John Milton and John Locke to defend religious freedom.
What is the proper function of government according to Locke? And what has it got no right to meddle in?
Locke argued that since the proper function of government is to protect life, liberty and property, it has no right to meddle in ‘the care of men’s souls’
Toleration should be extended to all matters regarded as what?
Toleration should be extended to all matters regarded as ‘private’ on the grounds that, like religious, they concern moral questions that should be left to the individual.
According to John Stuart Mill, what is toleration from the individual’s point of view?
From the individuals point of view, toleration is primarily a guarantee of personal autonomy and is this a condition for moral self-development.
According to Mill, why is toleration necessary?
Toleration is necessary to ensure the vigour and health of society as a whole. Only within a free market of ideas will ‘truth’ emerge, as good ideas displace the bad ones and ignorance is progressively banished.
What did Mill argue in terms of democracy?
If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
