Tolerance for Foolishness

The quality of a society is shown by how much foolishness it can tolerate.

It is a new side of tolerance and a counterpoint to the messages of reason. The usual tolerance conveys the message that all life designs and values are justified. That may often be the case, but I do not see the value in many life designs. I consider them inhumane, short-sighted, naive, and foolish.

But what is to be done? Must I oppose these attitudes? Perhaps on an individual level. But a look at the COVID crisis and other countries has shown: The more foolishness is tolerated, the better off people are. Actually, that is the message of freedom.

What about the truth? This is a double-edged sword. We as humanity can poorly assess our ignorance. A look at the COVID crisis makes this clear again. Science paired with politics does not result in wisdom but an intolerant, absolutist, unscientific doctrine. After all, the measures only work if everyone participates. Resistance is therefore something hostile. Consequently, the measures cannot be questioned. This bypasses scientificity and democracy. This is not meant to be a critique of the handling of the COVID crisis. It is just a hint of the consequences of believing one knows the truth. This pseudo-knowledge blocks the path to further knowledge.

Therefore, we must practice being tolerant of those who seem foolish to us. Are you religious? The more religions and unbelievers you can tolerate, the better. Are you an atheist? The more religiosity you can endure, the better. Are you left-wing? The more right-wing ideas you can tolerate, the better (and vice versa). Are you a communist? The more capitalism you can tolerate, the better.

Besides explaining the self-destruction of knowledge from above, there are other arguments for tolerance for foolishness. And that is adaptability. The more different people we allow, the more likely it is that we will host the saving heroes in a future crisis. If we only have like-minded people, we are not flexible enough to respond to new things.