Does Promoting Tolerance Promote Ethics?

In a previous post ("Ethics: Do They Exist?") I suggested that unethical behavior seems rampant because you and I are not publicly declaring our beliefs and behaving in a way that supports them. I posed several possible reasons why that might be so and promised to examine each one in coming posts. Here then, is reason number one:

Perhaps our society so strongly promotes tolerance that we avoid expressing our beliefs.

From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the second definition of tolerance is:
sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own.

We hold up tolerance as a vital characteristic of our democratic society, but is it really tolerance that brings value? It is important to recognize the diverse beliefs we hold. It is important to openly discuss their merits and learn from each other. It is important to expose ourselves to different ways of thinking and behaving.

But to what end? The purpose of dialogue is not "indulgence for someone else's beliefs or practices," but rather development of stronger, more mature values and behavior. Questioning others' beliefs and behavior causes us to examine our own beliefs and behavior, and hopefully, to make a more informed decision about our ethics (that is, our application of beliefs to behavior).

Somehow, the idea of tolerance has taken on the meaning of tacit approval of others' beliefs and behavior. However, silent acceptance and approval does not build strong democracy. A strong, mature goverment by the people demands that we speak out and become involved. If we build a culture of tolerance defined by tacit approval of each other's beliefs and behaviors, we give up the opportunity to challenge each other, to sharpen each other, to learn from each other.

A culture of strong, mature ethics requires us to publicly declare our beliefs and to behave in a way that is consistent with them. We must then be humble and open enough to allow others to disagree, to challenge and to question us - and confident enough to enter into respectful, honest dialogue. Using that description of tolerance, I'm all for it.

We can neither afford wishy-washy avoidance nor aggressive oppression if we truly want to promote ethics.

- Bob Ryan, www.swimstartingwithme.com