| The flaw is the assumption that people primarily get violent or abusive about ideas, or in proportion as they are convinced. Of course, one can be greedy, aggressive, hostile, vainglorious, and so forth without any ideological basis, and all of those sentiments might be the basis for conflict, including armed conflict. Further, recognizing that "my opinions are mine", and are not necessarily shared by others, does not by itself lead to tolerance. If there is no court of public opinion, because such matters are not arguable, there is no recourse except propaganda or militarism to ensure that one's preferences will triumph in the future. Thus, it is not self- evident that agnosticism will lead to reasonable, tolerant persons. Historically, it is impossible to make a clear assessment of the personal state of belief of various historical actors, especially when religious conformity was pretty necessary in public life. |
