The liberal attitude

We're not talking about an economic system or a political philosophy here: we're talking about an attitude - the liberal attitude. While classical liberalism is based on the principles of private property, individual responsibility and collective consent, it can only guarantee an open society - we're not talking about an «inclusive» society, an adjective favored by progressives of all stripes - if it establishes as another condition for life in common the principle of tolerance.

Contrary to popular belief, tolerance does not mean accepting everything; on the contrary. Agreeing with the fact that others think differently, which is typical of the spirit of tolerance, does not imply agreeing with their thinking. It's precisely the opposite: by definition, we tolerate something we don't approve of, or a person whose ideas or actions differ from our own. It wouldn't occur to me to «tolerate my own convictions» or «tolerate people who are admirable in every way».

Tolerance is therefore taking into consideration what we reject. It is the condition for debate and life in society. The concept of tolerance had been forged and brandished by the likes of Locke and Voltaire to justify a critical attitude towards the Church and its power over minds. Free thought was the great advance of the Enlightenment. And free thought implies the ability to criticize beliefs, institutions, religions and ideologies. As the Swiss-Israeli thinker Carlo Strenger writes, tolerance implies the idea of a certain «civilized contempt», the absolute opposite of political correctness.

Tolerance defined in this way can be considered a characteristic of the liberal attitude. The liberal man is not only tolerant, but also curious, generous, if possible elegant, and quite simply likeable. Unfortunately, he is as rare in our society as a snow leopard. And that's why it's so precious. It's the very thing we long for when we find ourselves in the middle of a plebeian crowd dripping with disrespect in a Lausanne metro station. Whereas the illiberal spirit is an egoist with no interest in or respect for others, the authentic liberal spirit assumes its condition as a social animal and is therefore interested in others, both respecting them and giving itself the right to criticize their words and deeds.

So - yes, yes! - the liberal attitude prevents the excesses of individualism. This is the great tragedy of our times: we have entered a capitalist, globalized world without ensuring that people adopt a liberal attitude. This may sound philosophical; it is. But it's a philosophical reflection that concerns us all - and every day: it's about saying that when we sit around a table, there shouldn't be camps of good and evil; that friendliness, taking people seriously, civility are better for building a healthy society than the nastiness we're all too familiar with; that we have the right to criticize a religion, whatever it may be, or to be afraid of it; that criticism and debate are not defects, but necessary conditions for knowledge, collective life and even happiness.

Debate, debate, debate. This is the way out. To do so, we need the university and the mainstream media, contemporary bastions of the pensée unique, to question the abandonment of the debate that has been theirs. But it's out of the question to draw a clear distinction between the grassroots and the elites: the lack of liberal attitudes concerns all strata of the population. May we all demonstrate it!

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com