Of Joy and its Absence

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919)

26th President of the United States

The Irony of "New" Tolerance

The United Nations Declaration of Principles on Tolerance (1995) asserts, "Tolerance... involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism." But why?  Might one not hold a certain dogma to be correct, to hold it absolutely, while insisting that others have the right to hold conflicting things to be dogmatically true? Indeed, does not the assertion "Tolerance... involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism" sound a little, well, dogmatic and absolute?

. . .

For the moment, it is enough to observe that under the aegis of this new tolerance, no absolutism is permitted, except for the absolute prohibition of absolutism.  Tolerance rules, except that there must be no tolerance for those who disagree with this peculiar definition of tolerance.

The Intolerance of Tolerance, by D. A. Carson

Introduction - The Changing Face of Tolerance