Scope of Tolerance

The Scope of Tolerance is an interdisciplinary study concerned with the limits of tolerance, this "democratic catch", and the costs of freedom of expression. Rights are costly, and someone must pay for them. We can and should ask about the justification for bearing the costs, weighing them against the harms inflicted upon society as a result of a wide scope of tolerance. While recognizing that we have the need to express ourselves, we should also inquire about the justifications for tolerating the damaging speech and whether these are weighty enough.This book combines theory and practice, examining issues of contention from philosophical, legal and media perspectives and covers such issues as: media invasion into one's privacy; offensive speech; incitement; hate speech; Holocaust denial; and media coverage of terrorism. This book is essential reading for anyone who has research interests in political theory, extremism, and free speech. Raphael Cohen-Almagor teaches at the Department of Communication, and Library and Information Studies at the University of Haifa and is the Director of the Centre for Democratic Studies.