Unlimited tolerance must lead to…
November 13th, 2008 by timelady
…the disappearance of tolerance.
“Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we
extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are
not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the
intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and the tolerance with
them. In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should
always suppress the utterance of intolerance philosophies; as long as
we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by
public opinion, suppression would certainly be most unwise. But we
should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for
it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the
level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they
may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it
is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their
fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance,
the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any
movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we
should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal,
in the same way as we should consider incitement to murder, or to
kidnapping, or to the revival of the slave trade, as criminal.”
Karl
Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies
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