ABSTRACT
The problem of toleration is the problem of explaining when and why things thought to be wrong ought nevertheless to be permitted. Although the problem of toleration arises over many kinds of disagreement, it has its historical origins in the context of specifically religious disagreement. Toleration consists in allowing, or refraining from interfering with, actions and opinions which one dislikes or disapproves of. The state should tolerate diversity and aspire to neutrality between competing conceptions of the good, primarily because of the importance of each individual leading the life which he or she thinks best. Modern democratic societies contain people who subscribe to a variety of diverse and conflicting 'conceptions of the good'. The autonomy-based defence of toleration is also problematic, for if values are both plural and conflicting, then there may be cases in which one person's autonomy can only be purchased at cost to another person's autonomy.
