Could tolerance be considered a virtue?

[GeneralFungi]

The tittle says it all, really. I know of the virtues and I know they're a religious thing, and I'm not the most faithful person around, but that isn't the point.


Maybe I'm missing what a virtue is entirely and getting the wrong definition, but I think tolerance is at least a good quality. It's listening to that kid with the funny speech problem despite the fact he's unpopular and/or just annoying, because you know that it'll make his day to know that someone listened to him.

Or even when playing online games with teenagers bashing on younger players, not bashing them yourself and treating them like any other player. I think that with a small amount of tolerance, you can find good friends in unexpected places.


What do you think?

 

[Erana]

I'd take tolerance more along the lines of keeping your dislike of something to yourself in favor of respect and fairness. To me, what you describe is more patience and downright kindness. You don't have to have any good will towards someone you tolerate.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Tolerance is a virtue, but it's covered by existing virtues, so it's not typically listed by itself. I mean that in the religious sense, of course. From a secular standpoint, of course it's a virtue, no matter how you slice it.

 

[Dwarfman]

The tittle says it all, really. I know of the virtues and I know they're a religious thing, and I'm not the most faithful person around, but that isn't the point.


Maybe I'm missing what a virtue is entirely and getting the wrong definition, but I think tolerance is at least a good quality. It's listening to that kid with the funny speech problem despite the fact he's unpopular and/or just annoying, because you know that it'll make his day to know that someone listened to him.

Or even when playing online games with teenagers bashing on younger players, not bashing them yourself and treating them like any other player. I think that with a small amount of tolerance, you can find good friends in unexpected places.


What do you think?

Virtues aren't just a relligious thing. They are a way of life that defines someones character, regardless of their beliefs. And yes tolerance is a virtue, it's filed under such virtues as forgivness, mercy and patience.

 

[PunkRex]

Covered in Southpark. Its deeeeeeeeep.

Tolerence is a virtue that seems to be a key ingredient in other virtues.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Virtue = the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong

I've never connected virtues specifically with religion. But yes, of course tolerance is a virtue.

 

[6unn3r]

Yup look...here it is.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I think it's a moral obligation.

 

[Exterminas]

Virtue a religious thing?
lol
Sorry.

That's what religious people like to believe, that everyone who doesn't get down on his knees infront of a piece of wood or metall lacks any ethics.

People have been crushing their heads about the nature of virtue long before Jesus stepped onto the stage. There was this guy, Aristotele was his name, he and his homies did nothing but talk about what could be considered Virtue.

Whether or not tolerance is a virtue depends entirely on the philosophy you agree to.

My personal favorite is the concept preoclaimed by David Hume: Virtue is what is delightfull and usefull to us. Tolerance is both these things. So yes, it is a virtue.

 

[Lieju]

It kinda depends on the issue and the matter at hand, doesn't it?

There is behaviour that shouldn't be tolerated. And people too. If someone is actively harming someone, that shouldn't be tolerated.

There is a line somewhere between tolerating different viewpoints, which is good, and opposing some kind of behaviour (usually when it interferes with the rights of others).

 

[Thaluikhain]

Depends what you mean by tolerance...when people speak of "tolerance" they usually mean understanding and respecting differences. But tolerance can also mean putting up with something rather than trying to change it, which is a very different thing and not neccesarily a virtue at all, and the distinction between the two can get a bit blury sometimes.

 

[Chamale]

I think tolerance just ties in to being a good person. I wouldn't define anyone as a good person if they judge others by the colour of their skin, their gender, religion or their sexual orientation.

(In modern times. I make exceptions for people like Lincoln who would have sounded insane if they said they believed all people are equal.)

 

[Intronaut]

Virtue a religious thing?
lol
Sorry.

That's what religious people like to believe, that everyone who doesn't get down on his knees infront of a piece of wood or metall lacks any ethics.

Well, the claim is that an atheistic picture of reality cannot contain objective, prescriptive values. Of course an atheist can act morally, and can believe in the notions of good and evil - he just can't rationally justify this belief with his metaphysical commitments.

 

[SilentCom]

The tittle says it all, really. I know of the virtues and I know they're a religious thing, and I'm not the most faithful person around, but that isn't the point.


Maybe I'm missing what a virtue is entirely and getting the wrong definition, but I think tolerance is at least a good quality. It's listening to that kid with the funny speech problem despite the fact he's unpopular and/or just annoying, because you know that it'll make his day to know that someone listened to him.

Or even when playing online games with teenagers bashing on younger players, not bashing them yourself and treating them like any other player. I think that with a small amount of tolerance, you can find good friends in unexpected places.


What do you think?

Virtue isn't always a religious thing. I took a class on Renaissance thought and had learned that knowledge and wisdom were seen as virtuous by classical philosophers and Renaissance humanists. The reason being is that having wisdom and knowledge allowed one to cultivate themselves and "know thy self" better. I agree that tolerance is a virtue.

 

[Exterminas]

Virtue a religious thing?
lol
Sorry.

That's what religious people like to believe, that everyone who doesn't get down on his knees infront of a piece of wood or metall lacks any ethics.

Well, the claim is that an atheistic picture of reality cannot contain objective, prescriptive values. Of course an atheist can act morally, and can believe in the notions of good and evil - he just can't rationally justify this belief with his metaphysical commitments.

Sure an atheist doesn't have any objective truths in life. But the punchline is that a religious person doesn't have them either. Religious people have the belief in things that they consider objective truths, that is not the same a pure and proven truth.

This liberal concept of objective truth can be applied to any atheistic moral norm.
You don't need metaphysics to stick to a rule in everydaylife. It doesn't really matter if your norm is objectivly proven or not.

 

[FalloutJack]

Tolerance as a virtue? It'd better be. Not for people with attributes they can't help, but for all the people who are dumb on purpose.

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

Yep, what you describe is "patience." Which is indeed a virtue. But like everything else, it can be taken too far. With both patience and tolerance, there's a point after which you just have to step in and change things. (Patience example: when some annoying kid is running around being hyper and then starts smashing things, you have to stop him. Tolerance example: when another culture's beliefs start damaging people around them, you have to try to adjust those beliefs.) Of course this tipping point is situational and depends on the individuals involved.