Tolerance is a moral virtue by Rivka T. Witenberg Summary and Annotation.

English Lesson "Tolerance is a Moral Virtue" Written by Rivka. T. Witenberg. summary of the lesson and Annotation. This notes will be helpful for the degree students.

1. Tolerance is a Moral virtue Rivka T. Witenberg

2. Summary

3. Rivka T. Witenberg is a developmental and cognitive psychologist, and an Honorary Research Fellow in Psychology at the Australian Catholic University. She has just finished a book titled “The moral and social landscape of tolerance to human diversity”. She is an expertise in the field of examining thinking processes and underlying beliefs about moral codes.

4. Tolerance, which is the present-day problem, as per the opinion of the writer, she says that tolerance is well related with morality. While researching on the subject the psychological researchers have confounded it with prejudice. The research was based on the understanding of children’s tolerance with the children of different nature. They have based this with prejudice rather than on morality. Their basic assumption was that absence of prejudice by default is considered as Tolerant. Defining tolerance is very difficult. But tolerance cannot be judged by prejudice rather judged by moral domain. This will create positive approach in understanding the relationship of each other group of people of different nature placed together.

5. Normally some people relate tolerance with prejudice. Their idea is tolerance is the lack of prejudice. Tolerance is a Latin word which some philosophers term as toleration and negatively put as “putting up with”, which means that we put up with though we dislike or hate. For example, I do not like the colour of your skin but still I would serve you as customary. The author says that tolerance cannot be indiscriminate, it means tolerance is based on discrimination and we blindly can’t have tolerance. We have to judge tolerance with human rights and social laws and we can’t see tolerance in child marriages or terrorist activities. So, accepting indiscrimination means getting into social evils or anti-social activities.

6. Tolerance can be considered as a moral virtue and it can also be judged as empathy. Empathy is a motivator for social behaviour but some consider it as motivator for prosocial and unselfish trust behaviour. We can see empathy as some kind of feeling one has while judging himself in the other’s position. This kind of empathy leads with moral values and is the result of tolerance.

7. Actually, tolerance cannot be accurately defined or described because some philosophers viewed tolerance is associated with prejudice. Some with morals values and some with empathy and some viewed it as moral duty. Now judging all one by one we can eliminate prejudice to associate with tolerance. The reason can be put that tolerance and prejudice are coexisting factors that can be opposite to each other.

8. To associate tolerance with empathy and moral values can be accepted to a large extent. However, it cannot be indiscriminate, because we can’t accept tolerance under all circumstances. When we view it with empathy, we view it by putting ourselves in the position of others and feel tolerant. But if any person is involved in some illegal or terrorist activities, we cannot be tolerant. In the same way when we associated with the moral values the same type of discrimination plays its role with empathy and cannot be accepted against legality.

9. The author is relating tolerance with empathy and moral values i.e., morality is combined with discrimination and is acceptable. The author says that if tolerance is there in every individual, I feel there won’t be any nation better than ours. Every individual would care about the welfare of others and would try to redress (correct) each other’s plight. This will greatly suit the concepts of living with honesty, truthfulness and sincerity. But, can anybody expect in these days these concepts to be prevailing in the individuals whose concept is related to selfishness. If this is possible, there can’t be some being millionaires, while major part remaining as below poverty line. These concepts I feel are more theoretical rather than practical and are put only for earning popularity or for achieving academic degrees.

10. Annotation

11. 1. Tolerance is a moral virtue best placed within the moral domain. (OR) 2. Prejudice and Tolerance are actually theoretically different concepts. (OR) 3. At the same time Tolerance cannot be indiscriminate. (OR)  4. The idea that tolerance is a moral duty had been acknowledged by earlier civil libertarians. (OR) 5. Empathic people are sensitive to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of others.

12. Reference: These lines are taken from an essay ‘Tolerance is a Moral Virtue’ written by Rivka Witenberg. she is a psychologist and an Honorary Research Fellow in psychology at the Australian Catholic University. She studies the social and moral aspects of tolerance to human diversity.

13. Context: In this essay, Witenberg argues that tolerance should be considered as a moral virtue. Tolerance is seen simplistically as the opposite of prejudice. She says that tolerance is a moral duty that ought to be practiced actively and consciously in order to build and maintain harmony in society.

14. Meaning: Tolerance should be associate with empathy and moral values and this can be accepted to a large extent. However, it cannot be indiscriminate. It should be discriminate, because we can’t accept tolerance under all circumstances. We don’t maintain tolerance during child marriages or terrorist activities are involved. Accepting indiscrimination means stepping into dangers of social evils or anti-social activities. We have to judge with human rights and social laws. When tolerance is associated with moral values, it cannot be accepted against legality. So, tolerance can be associated with morality and moral values. It should be discriminatory. According to author’s point of view relating tolerance with empathy and moral values is combined with discrimination and is acceptable.

15. Psychologists believe that empathy is the most important motivator for moral behaviour, and some other argues that it is a motivator of pro-social and unselfish behaviour. Empathic people are sensitive in their thoughts, feelings and experiences of others. They are able to place themselves in someone else’s positions. Placing oneself in someone else’s position is the essence of tolerance. Moral values such as fairness, justice, empathy, tolerance and respect are to be share with one another. These values are relevant in dealing with human diversity.