Conference paper
Political Liberties and Political Tolerance (Concepts and Research)
Vladimir Vujčić
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Two stages in the conceptualization and the research regarding political tolerance are dealt with in this paper. The first consists of the studies of Stouffer (1955), Prothro and Grigg, as well as others , while those of J. Sullivan (1979) and his collaborators can be considered to represent the second stage of the conceptualization and research into the very complex phenomenom of political tolerance. In relation to earlier research Sullivan and his collaborators have established a "contentual control" of tolerance by precisely distinguishing the political attitude towards generally unpopular groups in society from tolerance itself or from the readiness to put up with these groups in society in tolerance itself or from the readiness to put up with these groups and their ideas with which individuall otherwise do not agree. We believe however that this does not sufficiently define political tolerance. We therefore define tolerance as the readiness to put up with certain groups with which individuals do not otherwise agree - in correspondence with the ensemble of universal political liberties (i.e. the general norms of democracy) - but only up to certain limits. Tolerance can reach certain limits because political liberties are not absolute values but are restricted by other relevant values of society. This complicates also the methodology of the study of this very complex phenomenon.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
111403
URI
Publication date:
1.9.1993.
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