system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is the paradox of tolerance?

I keep hearing this a lot and I don't get it. For instance: Say an argument breaks out between two sides, when a third party points out that both sides are being incivil and they need to chill out so they can lead to a civil compromise or conclusion, they get dismissed because of this paradox.

What do they mean?
gpt
"Tolerance" as a ideal, would be to allow each side to speak their peace and have an equal chance to be heard. The idea behind this is that, by being tolerant of all beliefs, all beliefs can flourish.

However, the issue is that not all beliefs allow other beliefs to coexist, or allow tolerance. So by tolerating an intolerant belief, you are actually harming other beliefs. If one belief system espouse the destruction of followers of another belief system, those people will either be destroyed or will be silenced, either of their own volition to avoid being targeted or through harassment/censorship. This is the paradox of tolerance; by tolerating all beliefs, you may open yourself up to an intolerant belief system reducing the overall tolerance of society.

The solution to the paradox of tolerance is to not have unlimited tolerance. When a belief system advocates for the destruction of another, it loses the umbrella shield of tolerance. This puts them into a dilemma: change their views to be tolerant of others (ideal), or exit from this society (unfortunate, but maybe necessary).