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Let’s assume tolerance means tolerance of viewpoints which disagree with our own position. From an evolutionary lens, if someone disagrees with us, then aren’t
by uptownfunk 4y ago
Let’s assume tolerance means tolerance of viewpoints which disagree with our own position.
From an evolutionary lens, if someone disagrees with us, then aren’t we predisposed not to tolerate since tolerating would be at odds with our own survival? That’s the sort of lazy evaluation approach.
A more nuanced take could be that being tolerant also encourages us to revisit our own position and improve it if need be enabling a greater likelihood of survival.
- halkony 4y agoThis approach seems to assume that there is one "correct" position that optimizes likelihood of survival. With biology, it's not like evolution approaches a "limit" of the perfect species, so the most valuable opinion for a decision making species is whatever is needed in the moment. In fact, we gain a lot of evolutionary advantage by outsourcing our opinions to other members of the species. Tolerance gives us mental capacity to worry about our immediate problems. Also consider that disagreement takes psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical resources to act on properly. Disagreement can be expensive and won't always pay off. So that's probably why humans are evolutionary predisposed to agreement.