Essay about Tolerance, Liberalism, and Community - 3324 Words

Tolerance, Liberalism, and Community ABSTRACT: The liberal principle of tolerance limits the use of coercion by a commitment to the broadest possible toleration of rival religious and moral conceptions of the worthy way of life. While accepting the communitarian insight that moral thought is necessarily rooted in a social self with conceptions of the good, I argue that this does not undermine liberal tolerance. There is no thickly detailed way of life so embedded in our self-conceptions that liberal neutrality is blocked at the level of reflection. This holds true for us in virtue of the socially acquired reflective self found in the pluralist modern world. I reject Michael J. Sandel’s argument that to resolve issues of privacy rights†¦show more content†¦In exercising this role, sometimes fine distinctions will need to be made, and there is room for worry that in the guise of peace-keeping the state will really work to promote a favored vision of the worthy way of life. Still, this liberal principle tel ls us what to worry about in such controversies, though its abstractness means that by itself it cannot deal with difficult issues. However, the principle of tolerance does not even abstractly address questions about property rights and the distribution of wealth, so here the liberal tradition includes opposing approaches. The principle of tolerance is, if not the only thing liberals share, at least a touchstone of liberalism. Tolerance can be defended pragmatically, as a mode of living together justified simply by its success.(1) Or it can be given a basis in critical morality, in differing ways depending upon the particular critical stance of the defender. Both autonomy-based approaches and welfare-based approaches are found. I think that the approach of H.L.A. Hart is most helpful, for it proceeds critically but without appealing to some one grand foundational theory. Hart defends tolerance by placing the burden of moral argument on those who favor coercion—since coercion, as both an infringement of autonomy and a source of misery, is morally wrong unless there is a special justification. He then argues that in casesShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke on Liberty and Equality933 Words   |  4 PagesLiberalism is a political philosophy based on the ideas of liberty and equality; it supports the ideas of civil rights, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and free trade. Liberalism traces its origins to the works of John Locke in the seventeenth century and the philosophy of enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Locke wrote that every man has a natural right to life, liberty and property (â€Å"All mankind being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, libertyRead MoreLiberalism And Its Impact On Society882 Words   |  4 Pagesby their personal beliefs and they fail to look at the bigger picture. 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