Humanist Though for the Day

The Humanist Society of Scotland has drawn together a range of interesting and entertaining voices for their new 'Think Humanist' feature - an irreligious 'Thought for the Day'.

First up is A. C. Grayling with a short piece on tolerance. It's all pretty sound stuff, though it doesn't say anything particularly new. However, I do think that his take on the rise of extremist groups in Europe - he uses the Netherlands as an example - is a little too simplistic.

What was one of the most inclusive and welcoming societies in Europe has been stabbed in the heart by people it sheltered and who have grown into intolerant activists wishing to impose conformity and censorship on others by violence.

To an extent that's certainly true. It's not the whole story though. More often than not we see a cycle of conflict developing in which both "sides" are at fault: the presence of extremist groups tends to expose the uglier side of the native population (expressed through xenophobia, etc.) and generally leads to repressive legislation, both of which end up fueling extremism.

(To be fair: Grayling has spoken out against repressive measures elsewhere)

Dealing with intolerance, no matter how it manifests itself, is undoubtedly an important task. But, perhaps most importantly, it's going to involve an examination of our own attitudes and behaviour as well.