Description
Book SynopsisToleration in Comparative Perspective is a collection of essays that explores conceptions of toleration and tolerance in Asia and the West. It tests the common assumption in Western political discourse and contemporary political theory that toleration is a uniquely Western virtue. Toleration in modern Western philosophy is understood as principled noninterference in the practices and beliefs of others that one disapproves of or, at least, dislikes. Although toleration might be seen today as a quintessential liberal value, precedents to this modern concept also existed in medieval times while Indigenous American stories about welcome challenge the very possibility of noninterference. The modern Western philosophical concept of toleration is not always easily translated into other philosophical traditions, but this book opens a dialogue between various traditions of thought to explore precisely the ways in which overlap and distinctions exist. What emerges is the existence of a family of
Trade ReviewVicki A. Spencer has brought together a distinguished group of scholars from across the globe with the shared aim of challenging the complacent view held by many contemporary philosophers that the idea of toleration is a wholly modern phenomenon, founded on liberalism and distinctively Western in origin. The contributors disrupt these assumptions by means of careful examination of writings reflecting a broad range of intellectual traditions, including Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Native American thought, as well as unappreciated Western sources of tolerant principles. These authors collectively reveal not only the limitations of modern Occidental chauvinism concerning tolerance, but also the conceptual strengths of alternative approaches to the philosophy of liberalism commonly regarded to be coextensive with the theory of toleration per se. Taken as a whole, this book represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the many possible paths that the defense of a tolerant respect for human diversity might follow. -- Cary Nederman, Texas A&M University
Table of ContentsIntroduction, by Vicki A. Spencer Part I: The West Chapter 1: William of Ockham and Medieval Discourses on Toleration, by Takashi Shogimen Chapter 2: The Metaphysics of Toleration in American Indian Philosophy, by Scott L. Pratt Chapter 3: Human Fallibility and Locke’s Doctrine of Toleration, by Vicki A. Spencer Chapter 4: Pierre Bayle and Benjamin Constant on Toleration, by Ken Tsutsumibayashi Part II: Southwest Asia Chapter 5: The Ottomans and Toleration, by Karen Barkey Chapter 6: Tolerance and Pluralism in Islamic Thought and Praxis, by Asma Afsaruddin Part III: South Asia Chapter 7: Tolerance in Nepal Mandala: Communal Relations and Royal Religious Patronage in Malla-Era Kathmandu, by Anne Mocko Chapter 8: The One in the Many in the Songs of Poet-saints of Medieval India: A Cultural Stance on Tolerance, by Neelima Shukla-Bhatt Chapter 9: The Limits of Intolerance: A Comparative Reflection on India’s Experiment with Tolerance, by Purushottama Bilimoria Chapter 10: The Tolerations of Theravada Buddhism, by Benjamin Schonthal Part IV: East Asia Chapter 11: An Intolerant but Morally Indifferent Regime? Heresy and Immorality in Early Modern Japan, by Koichiro Matsuda Chapter 12: Two Conceptions of Tolerating in Confucian Thought, by Kam-por Yu Chapter 13: All Embracing: A Laozian Version of Toleration, by Xiaogan Liu Conclusion, by Vicki A. Spencer Suggested Further Readings About the Contributors
