It's time to stop tolerance

In the millennial era today, it is truly frustrating. How could it not be? We are entering an era where we must be tolerant of people's beliefs and speech because if not, they will bring disaster.

Do you know what I'm talking about? People tend to confuse emotions with facts. The reality of this situation is that throughout human history, every time there is chaos, only logic prevails.

Last night, I was chatting with my friends, and after a few puffs of cigarettes, some heavy philosophical conversations took place.

"So, does it mean gender equality or women's desire?"

After almost an hour of debating, we began to shift the conversation towards religious fanaticism that has been happening recently. And how people are slowly becoming more tolerant than they should be. Tolerance is considered an important value in building a harmonious society that appreciates differences.

This reminds me of the paradox of tolerance by Karl Popper. He questioned whether excessive tolerance could threaten the very principles of tolerance itself.

Karl Popper was a liberal thinker known for his concept of the "open society" and he presented his views on the paradox of tolerance in his famous book, "The Open Society and Its Enemies." He argued that if we truly practice absolute and unlimited tolerance, we risk destroying the values we want to preserve.

In his book, Popper explained that tolerance that does not restrict itself to ideologies that oppose tolerance will become a tool used by authoritarian groups to destroy the principles of democracy and freedom. In other words, if we provide unlimited space for intolerant thoughts, those thoughts can take control and ultimately eliminate tolerance itself.

Perhaps you're a bit confused. Let's take a simple example to understand this paradox of tolerance.

Imagine! You are playing a game where everyone can share their ideas and opinions. Because tolerance means you're fine with others having different ideas, even if you don't agree with them.

Simply put, it's like saying, "It's okay, you can think and act differently, we accept everyone here."

But what if these people start saying things like, "It's not good to accept people like this, they are too different from us, they cannot understand us, and they don't deserve to be here"?

Should we tolerate this behavior?

The paradox of tolerance states that if you are too tolerant and allow these players to continue spreading their intolerant ideas, in the end, they may gain power and attempt to eliminate tolerance.

In other words, if we tolerate too much intolerance, it can lead to the destruction of a tolerant society.

In simpler terms, the paradox of tolerance tells us that we should not allow evil or dangerous ideas to take over, even if we believe in being tolerant. We need to set some limits to protect the values of justice and goodness.

There needs to be a balance between allowing differences of opinion and standing against intolerant ideas that can undermine the foundations of tolerance and freedom.

So, in order to eliminate intolerant people who make your life like hell, you must be intolerant.

A bit mind-boggling, isn't it? That's why it's called the paradox of tolerance.

Let's simplify it further. If you closely observe people from the majority group today, you will see that they want everyone to be tolerant, but they themselves are very intolerant of ideologies and beliefs different from those of minority groups.

Now, what solution does Karl Popper propose regarding this paradox of tolerance? He suggests the principle of "limited tolerance toward the intolerant." This means that when we encounter groups actively seeking to destroy the principles of tolerance, we need to oppose them and limit our tolerance towards them. This is part of what Popper calls the "paradox of tolerance."

Although tolerance is considered an important value in building a harmonious society, Popper emphasizes that unlimited tolerance can become a weapon used by intolerant groups to destroy the principles of democracy and freedom.

Furthermore, we also need to recognize that a society that is completely closed off to different views can also be dangerous. Healthy and constructive tolerance involves the ability to listen, engage in dialogue, and understand different perspectives without necessarily agreeing with them. This allows society to evolve through the exchange of ideas and the discovery of better solutions.

In the context of Karl Popper's paradox of tolerance, we must strive to find a balance between tolerance that enables freedom of speech and the appreciation of differences, while recognizing the necessary limits to protect the values of democracy, human rights, and harmonious coexistence.

And although there are boundaries that need to be applied to tolerance towards intolerant groups, we also need to be cautious not to fall into an inability to listen and understand different perspectives. In maintaining this balance, education and a deeper understanding of democratic values will be key to building an inclusive and harmonious society.