The Paradox of Tolerance

Why I Signed On To Sharon Hurley Hall's Open Letter to Substack

Highlighted by Jonathan Katz’ essay in the The Atlantic, Substack is undergoing an existential crisis. It must decide how to handle Substack Nazis, or Substacks which espouse white supremacy, authoritarianism, and engage in threats of violence.

I am proud to sign on to a letter by Sharon Hurley Brown which demands the de-platforming of Nazi Substacks. It can be read here.

Below, I explain my reasons for signing with a discussion of Karl Popper’s “Paradox of Tolerance:”

I respectfully suggest that Substack’s administration is frozen in the headlights of what philosopher Karl Popper called “The Paradox of Tolerance” (Open Society and its Enemies, 1945).

Popper said, "unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance... We must therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate intolerance".  

Substack must therefore decide where to draw the line between free expression and censorship. What speech do we exclude to “not tolerate intolerance?”

Popper drew the l…