Tutzing '99

Tolerance - Basis For Democratic Societies In A World of Difference

Julian Nida-Rümelin
Head of the Culture Department
City of Munich

What does tolerance have to do with democracy? - Prof. Nida-Rºmelin pursues this question from a historical-philosophical perspective. What is understood by modern democracy today basically goes back to the experiences gained with regard to intolerance during the Thirty-Year War. In order to assess the relationship of tolerance and democracy, he suggests taking another conscious look at these experiences within the context of the current cultural situation worldwide:

"Consciously selecting this historically distant example of the Thirty-Year War, the central problem can be described as follows: there are people who orient their whole lives towards certain values. Values which are characterized by religious creeds. And it goes without saying that they want to do everything to ensure that these views are not only effective in their own lives but also in the life of society as a whole. And so differing opinions collide and both sides feel obliged to inform the other that their lives are wrong, their values are wrong - and ultimately employ violent methods to do so.

(...)

The historical shock, if you like, of all the dead in the Thirty-Year War provides an opportunity to define a democracy which does not define tolerance as indifference but rather as a recognition of differences which nevertheless enables them to be understood. I do not think a democracy is possible without such understanding because there is no public discourse. Then there are no reasons for political actions, for example. This means that each democracy also needs to find the balance between difference, respect for being different on the one hand and a mutual discourse extending beyond these differences on the other."

Conference in Tutzing

Dinner speach by
Micha Brumlik

Day of Tolerance in Munich

Contributions by:
Christian Ude
Michel Friedman
Cem Özdemir
Thomas Henschel
Julian Nida-Rümelin