Tolerantionism. Ryszard Legutko’s critique of tolerance

In the present paper I will discuss some of Ryszard Legutko’s ideas about the concept of tolerance; with particular emphasis on the distinction between the negative and positive tolerance (passive and active, respectively). I will sketch the historical background of this distinction and describe the extraordinary career of the notion of positive tolerance in the context of modern Occidental culture, concluding with the idea of “tolerantionism”. Finally, I will try to introduce a few objections to Legutko’s critical approach to tolerance, taking into account not only the coherence, but also the development (creativity) of European culture and Western Civilization. Legutko’s vision can be described as conservative, mine is rather “oscillating”. When a culture becomes too monolithic, it is natural to encourage more pluralism; however, if there is excessive pluralism, then monism should be promoted (triumph and absolute domination of the only one ideal – even the right one – tends to be harmful not only for the social freedom, but also for this same ideal; absolute power corrupts).dr hab. Jacek Breczko – Studium Filozofii i Psychologii, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku2644546