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Tolerance By John Locke

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Tolerance means a “Fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.” (Dictionary) Enemy is “a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.” (Dictionary) The quote “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.” (Dalai Lama, Tibetan Leader, 1935) Dalai is saying that to practice tolerance, one needs something or someone to fight against to test oneself. An antagonist or enemy is needed in order to test oneself to the fullest extent. Meaning that an enemy is the best person to teach how to tolerate others. John Locke agrees with what Dalai thinks is the best way to tolerate others in order to stay happy because the majority respects the rights of others; even if they are their enemy; on the basis of wanting their own rights to be respected. John Locke was born in 1632 in Wrighton, Somerset. His father was a lawyer and small landowner who had fought on the side of Parliamentarian during the English Civil War of the 1640s. At Oxford John Locke studied medicine, which would play a big part in his life. He became a influential philosopher, he wrote topics such as political philosophy, epistemology, and education. Locke's writings helped found modern Western philosophy. Locke said that “human beings are born as blank slates or as a “tabula

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