Tolerranties

Tolerranties is a term used in social and political theory to describe the plural forms and conditions that enable tolerance within diverse societies. It refers not to a single practice but to a family of norms, policies, and cultural arrangements that allow people with conflicting beliefs, identities, or customs to coexist without coercion or suppression.

The word is a neologism combining tolerance with a pluralizing suffix, signaling multiplicity of tolerances across domains such as law, education, media, and public life. In scholarly writing it is used to analyze how different institutions cultivate or constrain tolerant behavior and how these modalities interact with power relations.

Theoretical frameworks around tolerranties often distinguish between normative tolerranties (ethical justification for tolerating others), procedural tolerranties (institutional processes that protect minority rights), and outcome-based tolerranties (actual reductions in discrimination and conflict). Proponents argue that robust tolerranties support peaceful coexistence and social cohesion, while critics warn that tolerance can be instrumentalized or used to justify tolerating injustice.

Variants of tolerranties appear in democratic governance, education policy, judiciary protections, and public discourse. Examples include nondiscrimination laws, intercultural or civics curricula, platform content moderation aimed at reducing hate speech while preserving speech rights, and inclusive public memorials or language policies.

Debates surrounding tolerranties focus on boundaries of tolerance, legitimacy of tolerating intolerant ideologies, the relationship between tolerance and justice, and how to avoid merely instrumental tolerance that accommodates power imbalances.