cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/6541859

Wiki - The paradox of tolerance states that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually ceased or destroyed by the intolerant. Karl Popper described it as the seemingly self-contradictory idea that in order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must retain the right to be intolerant of intolerance.

  • @[email protected]English
    2•9 months ago

    Thank you for writing a thoughtful response! My understanding of the social contract is that it’s an unwritten agreement that if you want to get the benefits of living in a society (being able to purchase food and shelter rather than having to live in the wild and make/get your own) you have to abide by its rules. Where the Paradox of Tolerance comes in is that being intolerant (in how you treat other people specifically) is disruptive to society, which breaks the social contract. There may or may not be actual laws broken when doing so, but you should expect to be shown the door (also links nicely with “freeze peach” arguments).

      • @[email protected]English
        2•9 months ago

        Yeah, since the “social contract” is a concept, it will vary depending on what society or even part of society you’re in. The Paradox of Tolerance specifically refers to societies that value tolerance of others - there’s no paradox in a society that’s just fine with being intolerant. When it comes to “is it okay to punch Nazis?”, I’m of the belief that it’s highly dependent on the situation. If you’re meaning to just express displeasure in their ideology, the better way to do that is to collectively “show them the door,” make sure they know that their ideas aren’t welcome without resorting to violence. But actively oppose them and don’t simply ignore them, because they will use any power given to them to suppress others. If the Nazis are violating your rights, then, yes, it’s okay to punch them because they’ve taken a step over the line at that point.

        “no paradox here, if you punch nazis, you are a nazi, because it breaks the social contract”

        I’m pretty sure this is the opposite of what they meant because as I said, the Paradox of Tolerance only apples to tolerant societies, which the Nazis are demonstrably not a part of. And of course, breaking the social contract doesn’t necessarily make you a Nazi. Could you break the social contract in a tolerant society by punching a Nazi? Yes, if you instigated violence without sufficient reason.