Abstract:

In his Political Liberalism, Rawls argues for a reasonable idea of toleration in response to the fact of reasonable pluralism in modern democratic society.The fact of reasonable pluralism is the subjective circumstance of toleration, while reasonableness is the basis of toleration.Reasonableness has two aspects: 1) the willingness to propose and abide by fair terms of cooperation, given the assurance that others will likewise do so; 2) the willingness to recognize the burdens of judgment and to accept their consequences.The burdens of judgment are the root of reasonable disagreement.It is typical of the exercise of a common human reason in the condition of freedom.As a reasonable person, one recognizes and is willing to bear the consequences of the burdens of judgment.One also recognizes that it is unreasonable to impose one's own conception of the good on the others, hence the commitment to toleration.The author also points out the limitations of Rawls' idea of toleration.

Key words: reasonable pluralism, the reasonable, toleration, the burdens of judgment