The Formation of the Idea of Toleration and Its Contemporary Problems
Author: Kuo-Hsien Hsu
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
Instances of intolerance that stained with unwilling tears and unworthy blood of different generations one after another scattered throughout human history. The awakening of the necessity of toleration, in the form of religious toleration, began in the aftermath of the Reformation with John Locke as its first defender in true theoretical depth. Since then, situations that were in need of toleration expanded rapidly to cover almost all aspects of everyday life. Intolerance as a self-righteous belief in infallibility tries not only to coerce but also to subdue people with different views and values. On the contrary, toleration just wants coexistence of differences. Toleration is, without doubt, still needed today. But the ways it presents itself are much more complex nowadays. This article, which consists of a historical part and a theoretical one, tries to scrutinize the possibilities and inner problems in practicing toleration in our modern world.