ABSTRACT
The main questions posed in this chapter centre around the relation which exists between interests and values, how the two perspectives associated with interests and values can be theoretically distinguished and in which ways values and interests are nonetheless practically interwoven. The chapter shows that the concept interest is closely bound up with value, which means that the differences between an interests-based perspective and a values-based perspective is a more complex issue than mere terminology. It uses a distinction between values and value-judgements to extend the inquiry into the differences between interests-based and values-based perspectives. The chapter examines political tolerance, and suggests how a distinction between interests-based and values-based perspectives helps to legitimise the concept of majority rule. The majority principle is rightly criticised as claiming an unjustified right of the majority to rule over minorities or individuals.
