I read this quote attributed to Aristotle, " Tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society " although further reading calls the author of that into question. Google provides a number of scenarios about the origin of that phrase. One of them claim it is a quote used by racists! Well, everything is racist these days so I'm not surprised by that. But like all things of this nature you do have to place it in context. In this case the context is vague, if not impossible to discern. For that reason I can only interpret what is being implied, in short, my opinion on what the author is saying.
Now I take it to mean that if, as a society, we tolerate every behavior, chaos will result and the end of the society. Tolerance being the last virtue, because society has made exceptions to every other virtue. I say exceptions because tolerance is not necessarily acceptance, but rather it is closer to apathy. Plato considered these four virtues the most important to a person and by extension to society. Temperance, Wisdom, Justice and courage. I haven't read anywhere that Aristotle mentioned tolerance as a virtue so perhaps he didn't write that phrase, but he was certainly concerned with virtues. So let's look at those virtues he did talk about. Temperance. What is temperance? It is drinking alcoholic beverages to alter your state of mind. I believe that applies to all substances that have that effect, whether it is booze or drugs in all their various forms. Doesn't matter if they are legal or not, it is the misuse, the intemperance, that is important. That is to say, the lack of restraint. In our society today temperance surely isn't taught as a virtue. No, indeed the use of alcohol and drugs is promoted. We even have an entire industry devoted to helping people "recover" from their lack of temperance. An industry that promotes the notion, you can't do it alone, and failure isn't do to the treatment you received, it is due to your own inability to maintain sobriety. The glaring example of this "tolerance" is the legalization of pot. Are we, as a society, promoting temperance by that action? I'd have to say it is just the opposite. But, we make an excuse, an exception for that action, hey people are going to use it anyway so we adopt the apathic attitude. It's no worse than another wrong so it should be allowed.
Wisdom is the second virtue Plato mentions. What is wisdom? Wisdom is having experience and knowledge enabling you to make informed, intelligent decisions. Wisdom also entails self denial for the greater good. The wise man balances the pros and cons and decides on a course of action. As I have said in the past, "emotions are great motivators, seldom good guides." A wise man will not allow his emotions to influence his choices. " The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from all constraint. The wise man sees in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws." ( Walt Whitman) Are we, as a society making wise decisions? Or are we making decision based on emotions. Are we merely reacting, rather than making carefully considered choices based in facts? You know, just changing the "facts" doesn't change the truth. Joe Biden said. "we choose truth over facts" What was he saying there? He was saying his "truth" supersedes the facts. What the wise man will consider is whether those "truths" are based in fact, or in fiction, in an emotional response. Remember emotions are great motivators, vote for Joe!
Then we come to justice. Justice is what we all talk about, all the time. Everyone has there own sense of justice, of what that is. It is being fair. The question being, fair to whom? And the answer is usually fair to ourselves if the administration of that justice will effect us in any way. We tend to think of justice as the imposition of punishment but that isn't what it is at all. Justice is simply doing the right thing in all situations. Justice excludes personal wants, needs, and emotions from the equation. That's why justice is portrayed as blind. Today we hear much talk of social justice. What is that? Social justice is equal treatment in the society. What is often left out however is that social justice also requires the individual to make a contribution to that society. It is that contribution that determines societal roles. Social justice really means getting what you earned, not what you deserve by some arbitrary standard you have established. Once we remove the blindfold we see the differences in people rather than the differences in their actions. We begin to justify actions based on appearance rather than fact. In California today, the district attorney is now proposing that punishment for a crime should be judged based on the need of the person committing that crime. In short, looting the store for a big screen television is alright because they were hungry. Is that justice? Not to the person that has to pay for that television it isn't.
Finally we come to courage. I believe Plato was talking about moral courage. He was talking about strength of character. Personal restraint and personal accountability. Each of us are responsible for our own choices. We are born into a society. What place we ultimately assume in that society will be a result of our influences and choices. Yes we are all born into a strata of that society. That is just the beginning the end will be determined by your choices. There is no doubt your courage, your fortitude, your wants, needs and desires will be tested. It takes courage to live! Personal integrity is at the heart of it all.
I do think whoever composed that phrase was correct in saying that tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society. If we allow our virtues to be set aside, to make excuses and exceptions to those same virtues in the name of tolerance, the society will collapse. We should not tolerate wrong! Wrong is wrong, no matter the circumstance. The problem, as I see it, remains the same in every society throughout history. "Everyone wants to be treated equally, until they are." Justice hinges on equality. Until everyone accepts that they are indeed equal to one another there can be no social justice. Without social justice there is no society. Social justice has nothing to do with income inequality, nothing to do with housing, nothing to do with privilege. Social justice is achieved when everyone in the society makes an equal contribution to that society fulfilling their societal roles. Those roles are not fixed but rather mobile based on individual performance. If we tolerate anything less, we will fail.
Now I take it to mean that if, as a society, we tolerate every behavior, chaos will result and the end of the society. Tolerance being the last virtue, because society has made exceptions to every other virtue. I say exceptions because tolerance is not necessarily acceptance, but rather it is closer to apathy. Plato considered these four virtues the most important to a person and by extension to society. Temperance, Wisdom, Justice and courage. I haven't read anywhere that Aristotle mentioned tolerance as a virtue so perhaps he didn't write that phrase, but he was certainly concerned with virtues. So let's look at those virtues he did talk about. Temperance. What is temperance? It is drinking alcoholic beverages to alter your state of mind. I believe that applies to all substances that have that effect, whether it is booze or drugs in all their various forms. Doesn't matter if they are legal or not, it is the misuse, the intemperance, that is important. That is to say, the lack of restraint. In our society today temperance surely isn't taught as a virtue. No, indeed the use of alcohol and drugs is promoted. We even have an entire industry devoted to helping people "recover" from their lack of temperance. An industry that promotes the notion, you can't do it alone, and failure isn't do to the treatment you received, it is due to your own inability to maintain sobriety. The glaring example of this "tolerance" is the legalization of pot. Are we, as a society, promoting temperance by that action? I'd have to say it is just the opposite. But, we make an excuse, an exception for that action, hey people are going to use it anyway so we adopt the apathic attitude. It's no worse than another wrong so it should be allowed.
Wisdom is the second virtue Plato mentions. What is wisdom? Wisdom is having experience and knowledge enabling you to make informed, intelligent decisions. Wisdom also entails self denial for the greater good. The wise man balances the pros and cons and decides on a course of action. As I have said in the past, "emotions are great motivators, seldom good guides." A wise man will not allow his emotions to influence his choices. " The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from all constraint. The wise man sees in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws." ( Walt Whitman) Are we, as a society making wise decisions? Or are we making decision based on emotions. Are we merely reacting, rather than making carefully considered choices based in facts? You know, just changing the "facts" doesn't change the truth. Joe Biden said. "we choose truth over facts" What was he saying there? He was saying his "truth" supersedes the facts. What the wise man will consider is whether those "truths" are based in fact, or in fiction, in an emotional response. Remember emotions are great motivators, vote for Joe!
Then we come to justice. Justice is what we all talk about, all the time. Everyone has there own sense of justice, of what that is. It is being fair. The question being, fair to whom? And the answer is usually fair to ourselves if the administration of that justice will effect us in any way. We tend to think of justice as the imposition of punishment but that isn't what it is at all. Justice is simply doing the right thing in all situations. Justice excludes personal wants, needs, and emotions from the equation. That's why justice is portrayed as blind. Today we hear much talk of social justice. What is that? Social justice is equal treatment in the society. What is often left out however is that social justice also requires the individual to make a contribution to that society. It is that contribution that determines societal roles. Social justice really means getting what you earned, not what you deserve by some arbitrary standard you have established. Once we remove the blindfold we see the differences in people rather than the differences in their actions. We begin to justify actions based on appearance rather than fact. In California today, the district attorney is now proposing that punishment for a crime should be judged based on the need of the person committing that crime. In short, looting the store for a big screen television is alright because they were hungry. Is that justice? Not to the person that has to pay for that television it isn't.
Finally we come to courage. I believe Plato was talking about moral courage. He was talking about strength of character. Personal restraint and personal accountability. Each of us are responsible for our own choices. We are born into a society. What place we ultimately assume in that society will be a result of our influences and choices. Yes we are all born into a strata of that society. That is just the beginning the end will be determined by your choices. There is no doubt your courage, your fortitude, your wants, needs and desires will be tested. It takes courage to live! Personal integrity is at the heart of it all.
I do think whoever composed that phrase was correct in saying that tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society. If we allow our virtues to be set aside, to make excuses and exceptions to those same virtues in the name of tolerance, the society will collapse. We should not tolerate wrong! Wrong is wrong, no matter the circumstance. The problem, as I see it, remains the same in every society throughout history. "Everyone wants to be treated equally, until they are." Justice hinges on equality. Until everyone accepts that they are indeed equal to one another there can be no social justice. Without social justice there is no society. Social justice has nothing to do with income inequality, nothing to do with housing, nothing to do with privilege. Social justice is achieved when everyone in the society makes an equal contribution to that society fulfilling their societal roles. Those roles are not fixed but rather mobile based on individual performance. If we tolerate anything less, we will fail.
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