What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists, is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Extremism is dangerous due to intolerance toward opponents, not just the extremity of their views.
- In plain terms
- The danger of extremists is their intolerance of others, not their extreme ideas.
- What can you take from it?
- Intolerance toward opponents defines dangerous extremism.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does disagreement become intolerance?
- How do you speak about opponents?
Another view
Extreme ideas themselves can sometimes be harmful regardless of tolerance.
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