Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home

by Glenn S. Sunshine

The idea of radical freedom and autonomy also leads directly to the great postmodern virtue — tolerance. Not only can you not do anything that limits another’s freedom or usurps their rights; you cannot suggest that there is anything wrong with what they decide to do with their freedom. To do so is to commit the unforgivable sin of being intolerant, judgmental, or bigoted (which all mean essentially the same thing to a postmodern). This is a major shift in the idea of tolerance. In the past, tolerance applied to people. You could strongly disagree with certain ideas, while tolerating the people who held them. Increasingly, however, toleration applies to ideas and moral decisions, such that not only are they not subject to criticism but must be positively affirmed and celebrated.