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Monday, October 8, 2012

10-4-12 Section 13 Group 4 "Tolerance"

Wendy Brown makes the argument that tolerance does not necessarily denote a complete lack of prejudice or the presence of acceptance and understanding.  Instead, Brown sees tolerance as indicative of a society in which aversion and prejudice are managed and suppressed but not dispelled.  Tolerance reinforced the dichotomy of the "normal" and the "other".  We agreed that it is impossible to say that the world is entirely free from prejudice and human rights violations.  However, there has been a great deal of progress in these areas over the past 200 years, and perhaps Brown is too quick to denounce America and human society in general for their championing of tolerance.

Possible test questions

Why does Brown see "tolerance" as a troubling concept?

Because it creates an atmosphere in which one group of people has the power to permit or limit the actions of other groups based on their sole discretion.

Does Brown think that toleration is an entirely malevolent virtue?

No. Brown argues that tolerance is needed, but it should not be the ultimate goal of a society to merely tolerate what it does not understand.

2 comments:

  1. The word tolerance can often be misconstrued; simply "tolerating" people can possibly bring an air of contempt. However, it is a vital to our society. Ideally people would be more on the accepting and understanding side of toleration. However....that's just people for you; everyone is going to have some prejudice and ideals that they hold (consciously or unconsciously).
    Infinity is a word we hear often, especially in math (cringe), but I doubt we often give it a lot of thought. Frankly, the idea of eternity or infinity blows my mind and makes me nauseas. Humans are always fascinated by things we do not understand, so it only makes sense that we are fascinated by this undefinable concept.

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  2. Amanda Gargano9:05 PM CDT

    I believe that tolerance is a word to help people cope with prejudice and hate. Sometimes people think that tolerating people is more acceptable than speaking out against them. In a sense, tolerance can be both good and bad. It can be good, because it allows people to all live in harmony with one another, but it can be bad when we overtolerate things in society. Infinity is something that is all around us. I believe that most everything in life is infinite. With this said why do you think that humans are so intrigued by the thought of infinity. Also, What conclusions did Moore make about infinity?

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