Abstract

The essence and the validity of several philosophical positions in justifying the vital issue of tolerance will be investigated in this paper: above all, “tolerance” as claimed by J. Locke and P. Bayle in the XVII century; an embodiment of tolerance in the project of multiculturalism and its destiny; culture-centrist and naturalistic concepts. Postmodern deconstruction project as a critic of thinking patterns that leads to dogmatism and intolerance is analysed, and so is the interpretation of tolerance as equality of conceptual projects and value systems underlying different cultures. Different systems of beliefs cannot communicate because they are locked-in. According to E. Levinas, the roots of violence in the 20th century societies originated in philosophy – due to their failure to respect the ‘Other’, and in the domination of generalization over the individual or the personal. Tolerance is needed because it is a virtue against fanaticism, sectarianism and authoritarianism. The naturalistic project proposes that we consider human only as a form of biological life, and that one should not oppose culture to biology and nature to wildness. When humans feel part of the living world, cease to be aggressive, and are more able to engage in dialogue and interaction.