Classical sources of our understanding of toleration
Here you will find an overview of the articles about Antiquity: about epistemology, dialectics, stoicism, pragmatism, skepticism and forgiveness.
The toleration we know today did not exist in ancient times. The concept only acquired its current meaning since the Reformation. But of course our understanding of toleration did not come out of the blue. In this series I discuss the sources of the concept of toleration in Antiquity. After all, thinkers in the Greek and Roman civilisation also thought about how to deal with deviant ideas, wrong behaviour and foreign peoples, with other cultures and religions.
Discussions about elements of toleration have been going on since ancient times. Arguments for toleration can be found in a whole range of classical philosophical perspectives, including epistemology, dialectics, stoicism, humanism. We will explain those terms later.
Buddhism also developed a view of tolerance, which has something in common with classical stoicism. Because Buddhism had little influence on Western thinking about toleration, we will leave it out of consideration here. A separate series is devoted to the subject of Buddhism and toleration.
Why we really can't know anything for sure
Introduction In the Toleration Campaign, today, we’re starting with a new series: classical sources of toleration. Introducing epistemology and skepticism. Nowadays’s concept of toleration did not exist in ancient times. It only acquired its current meaning since the Reformation. But of course, our understanding of toleration did not come out of the blue.…
Why we need opposing views
Everyone should be able to say anything. That may not have been a right, but it was mostly a matter of course in classical Athens and Rome. We'll look into how that came about, and what one were and weren't allowed to say. We also cover dialectic: in order to get closer to the truth, you need different angles. If they collide, it can lead to something be…
Are our moral beliefs just illusions?
Suppose you always belch loudly after eating. Is that bad behaviour? It depends on your culture, one might say, or on your upbringing. Sure. If you leave it at that, you are using a morally relativistic argument. But can might also say that it is good or bad in itself, regardless of culture and upbringing, and perhaps even regardless of whether others ar…
Don't let it get to you
This newsletter is about stoicism: the painful dealing with the inevitable. Unlike skepticism, stoicism was well compatible with Christian teachings. Even in the Middle Ages, its Stoic influences remained an integral part of Christianity. In the Renaissance and the Reformation, appreciation for Stoicism revived, especially with Erasmus and even with Calv…
Humanitas and forgiveness
In May 1942, a well-dressed woman entered the Ten Boom jewellery store on Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem. She had heard that the devout Calvinist Ten Boom family had provided aid to their Jewish neighbours. The woman was also Jewish. Her husband had been arrested, her son had gone into hiding, and she did not know where to go. The woman was given shelter …
We don't owe our ideals of liberty and equality to Antiquity
Suppose I want to start a transport company. I need a van, but I have no money. We are acquainted. You've got plenty of money, and you're willing to lend it to me. But on one condition: if I can't pay back, I have to work for you until I pay off my debt. That sounds reasonable, I agree.
On pragmatic rulers and subjugated nations
I don't want to suggest anything, but imagine yourself as a power-hungry tyrant. You started your career as a chieftain, and you gradually managed to win over other tribes. Now you are the leader of a powerful nation, but you’re still not satisfied. Your greedy eyes turn to the neighbouring country, which you would like to add to your empire. In the nei…