title: [Ethical relativism and the modern concept of tolerance].
abstract: History presents many examples of men and women who find themselves in a position of having to disobey civil law. The motives for such disobedience can only be founded on moral conscience, as influenced by other laws - immutable and recognized as true. The author studies the historical context of the appearance, during the Age of the Enlightenment, of a new concept: tolerance. Ceasing to represent the expression of the classical practical virtue of prudence, ideological tolerance achieves the rank of theoretical virtue. Such a pretension has a political in essence but also innumerable ethical consequences. An ideologically tolerant society is created. The author develops this paradoxical thesis according to which an ideologically tolerant society is not prepared to tolerate the idea that there might exist a truth for which to search. Today, we see a secularization of conscientious objection concerning two particular themes: military service and matters connected with the protection of human life. Examining the paradigmatic example of abortion, the author demonstrates how society is no longer capable of reflecting peacefully upon the question of the status of the embryo, for fear of questioning the legislative choice concerning its legalization. Thus, society no longer has the capability of confronting challenges connected to practices that are detrimental to the dignity of human life, the essential criteria that would allow it to face these matters having been declared outside the confines of future reflection.
authors.affiliation: Pontificia Academia pro Vita Via della Conciliazione, 3 00189 Roma. jlaffitte@acdlife.va
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laffitte
mesh_terms: D028781:Ethical Relativism