Tolerance is a means to an end

I just read about the tolerance of Dutch society. Powerline blog has mentioned the impact that Muslim extremists are having there.

I think the reason for this is that tolerance has become an end in itself. People uphold it as a banner as though waving it ought to inspire admiration and honor in our hearts. But tolerance is not an end in itself, it is a means to an end. It should be upheld as a tool, one among many, for the free exchange of ideas.

Waving the flag of tolerance is as meaningless as passing out hammers to curb homelessness. It becomes a weapon rather than a tool. Tolerance without the ability to interact and discern that some ideas are more valuable than others becomes a weapon co-opted by the terrorists.


Tolerance has been misunderstood to mean "uncritical". People have become defenseless in the face of illegitimate truth claims. One truth has as much right to be heard and "tolerated" as another. Rather than do the hard work of examining, criticizing, and learning about the truth claims of each other, we are told to simply "tolerate" one another. But in the face of murderous truth claims, tolerance is inadequate.