ABSTRACT
Using concrete examples, this chapter discusses the various reasons for why tolerance is important, especially in our increasingly diverse and polarised world. The importance of tolerance is discussed in relation to ideological and political differences, cultural group differences, contested moral issues, and academic debates. In addition, several criticisms of a focus on tolerance will be discussed, such as that tolerance is considered as not going far enough (“mere tolerance”) or rather as going too far (“passive tolerance”), and also the argument that tolerance is demeaning, and that discourses of tolerance have a depoliticising effect. It is argued that recognising these critical points does not make tolerance superfluous or inadequate, but rather raises questions about the scope of tolerance, the construal of tolerance, and for empirical research.
