Tolerance

 

 

Martin Luther King Jr.

“In the troubled times in which we live, it is important to remember, and honour, a vision of a pluralistic society. Tolerance, openness and understanding towards other peoples’ cultures, social structures, values and faiths are now essential to the very survival of an interdependent world. Pluralism is no longer simply an asset or a prerequisite for progress and development; it is vital to our existence.”

Quote from a Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan, at the Ceremony to Inaugurate the Restored Humayun’s Tomb Gardens, New Delhi, 15 April 2003.

tolerance |ˈtäl(ə)rəns| noun

1 the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with: the tolerance of corruption | an advocate of religious tolerance.

• the capacity to endure continued subjection to something, esp. a drug, transplant, antigen, or environmental conditions, without adverse reaction: the desert camel shows the greatest tolerance to dehydration | species were grouped according to pollution tolerance | various species of diatoms display different tolerances to acid.

• diminution in the body’s response to a drug after continued use.

2 an allowable amount of variation of a specified quantity, esp. in the dimensions of a machine or part : 250 parts in his cars were made to tolerances of one thousandth of an inch. ORIGIN late Middle English (denoting the action of bearing hardship, or the ability to bear pain and hardship): via Old French from Latin tolerantia, from tolerare (see tolerate ). tolerance noun 1 an attitude of tolerance toward other people acceptance, toleration; open-mindedness, broad-mindedness, forbearance, liberality, liberalism; patience, charity, indulgence, understanding.

2 she has a low tolerance to alcohol endurance of, resistance to, resilience to, resistance to, immunity to. intolerance

1 clearly she had not inherited her parents’ racial intolerance bigotry, narrow-mindedness, small-mindedness, illiberality, parochialism, provincialism; prejudice, bias, partisanship, partiality, discrimination; injustice, inequality. See note at bias .

2 lactose intolerance sensitivity, hypersensitivity; allergy. intolerant |inˈtälərənt| adjective not tolerant of others’ views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one’s own : he was intolerant of ignorance.

• unable to be given (a medicine or other treatment) or to eat (a food) without adverse effects : intolerant of aspirin | [ postpositive ] these patients were lactose intolerant.

• (of a plant or animal) unable to survive exposure to (physical influence).

DERIVATIVES intolerance |1nˈtɑl(ə)rəns| noun intolerantly |1nˈtɑl(ə)rəntli| adverb ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin intolerant-, from in- ‘not’ + tolerant- ‘enduring’ (see tolerant ). looking down at people because of their characteristics or viewpoints, negatively portraying something due the contrast with one’s own beliefs, etc.

As the debate as to what to do about other people’s intolerance continues, what is often ignored is how to recognize and deal with one’s own.

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Tolerance, definitions (bornhuman.wordpress.com)