Habits of Tolerance: The Reformative Power of Pragmatism

Abstract Tolerance, a key characteristic in contemporary societies, is particularly urgent in the wake of globalization and its associated challenges. This study critiques the mainstream concept of tolerance and its educational implications, proposing an approach to education for tolerance based on the epistemological framework of philosophical pragmatism and pragmatist interpretation of the concept of habit. The mainstream definition of tolerance relies on two problematic dichotomies — reason versus emotion and individual versus social — leading to a definition of tolerance that entails the suffering of tolerant individuals. Pragmatist epistemology perceives reason and emotion as integral aspects of the holistic apparatus by which humans cultivate habits of thought and action through interactions with the material and social worlds. Habits develop only in appropriate social and emotional contexts; therefore, education for tolerance should construct pedagogical communities in which tolerance is cultivated alongside the emotionally rewarding experiences of membership and belonging.