Abstract

UNESCO has declared 1996 to be the year of tolerance. The issue of tolerance has been discussed at a number of conferences, seminars, and symposia both in our country and abroad. I have participated in some of these discussions and would like to share some thoughts on this problem. But first let me call attention to a number of points that will become clearer later on. First, the idea of tolerance is in reality not as simple as it seems, because it proceeds from certain premises and entails a number of conclusions. Moreover, it may be understood in different ways leading to different results. Most importantly, this seemingly limited, although practically important issue is associated with a number of fundamental philosophical questions bearing on our understanding of man and his identity, the possibilities and limits of cognition and mutual understanding, and so forth