ABSTRACT
Humanists have consistently defended tolerance, the free mind, free inquiry, and the need for moral freedom in the great battles over the years for a free society. There are certain limits, however, that a reflective humanist will grant applies to the principle; for it is not an absolute. Humanists need to defend tolerance provided it is accompanied by moral responsibility, which should be achieved by education rather than legislation. The principle of tolerance entails toleration of a wide range of beliefs and moral values, and it would allow individuals and groups the opportunity to express fully their diverse beliefs, practices and life stances. In a tolerant society there is thus apt to be less cruelty, hypocrisy and duplicity, less dogmatism, hatred and fanaticism. Tolerance is intimately related to individual liberty, and especially to the right of privacy. Multi-culturalists appeal to the sense of tolerance arguing that all points of view ought to be represented in the curriculum.
