“We must therefore be cognitively intolerant (a frequent expression of Prof. Ivo T. Budil) in combination with the greatest possible political tolerance, ” writes Slovak historian Jan Dolák.
He perfectly captures the combination we need to restore civilised thinking.
Without political tolerance protecting the space for free discussion, rationality will collapse. Where it is impossible to speak freely, it is impossible to think freely. It is not possible to weed out erroneous opinions, and it is not possible to arrive at correct results except by pure chance (and we would not be able to distinguish correct results from incorrect ones anyway).
On the other hand, if we give up cognitive intolerance (i.e., clear unambiguous rational procedures for distinguishing true from false), we will be inundated with superstition and other ballast. The result will not be diversity of thought, but the rule of the stupidest. It will crowd out everything else. And, as practical experience shows, this leads to the rapid demise of free discussion. This is what we see in many “alternative” channels and gatherings where a single conspiratorial obligatory opinion, usually very stupid, is allowed.
Striving for only one or the other is a complete waste of time.