Tolerance among the Virtues

Bowlin delivers here an extremely timely book. . . . Detailed, exhaustive, and often highly nuanced.--Choice Bowlin combines rich historical scholarship with constructive ethical and theological objectives. His philosophical sophistication and historical mastery blend so seamlessly that his argument seems natural and almost obvious, despite being complicated and potentially contentious. This is a major contribution. --G. Scott Davis, author of Believing and Acting: The Pragmatic Turn in Comparative Religion and Ethics Bowlin offers a highly original philosophical and theological inquiry into the virtues of tolerance and forbearance in civil society and Christian social and political ethics. Tolerance among the Virtues is an important and controversial book. --Melissa Lane, author of The Birth of Politics: Eight Greek and Roman Political Ideas and Why They Matter The most original and instructive account we have of a single virtue, Tolerance among the Virtues illumines the need for patient endurance of some differences that divide and trouble us. A compelling diagnosis of the culture wars and a major contribution to political philosophy, ethics, and theology. --Jeffrey Stout, author of Democracy and Tradition How can we hope to preserve the peace and well-being of society in the face of the objectionable differences that divide us from our fellow citizens? If anything can productively recast the debate between liberals suspicious of perfectionism and traditionalists troubled by indifference and relativism, it is John Bowlin's brilliant account of the virtue of tolerance. --Jennifer A. Herdt, Yale University Bowlin's book superbly marshals the power of the Thomistic virtue tradition to make a compelling argument for locating tolerance among the virtues. . . . Powerful and necessary.---James Calvin Davis, Interpretation Bowlin's account of tolerance is powerful.---Molly Farneth, Commonweal If all this hardheaded, disenchanted talk is getting you down, consider the refined and rarefied argument in Tolerance Among the Virtues.---James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review