Rainer Forst 
Toleration, power and the right to justification 
Rainer Forst in dialogue

Rainer Forst’s Toleration in Conflict (published in English 2013) is the most important historical and philosophical analysis of toleration of the past several decades. Reconstructing the entire history of the concept, it provides a forceful account of the tensions and dilemmas that pervade the discourse of toleration. In his lead essay for this volume, Forst revisits his work on toleration and situates it in relation to both the concept of political liberty and his wider project of a critical theory of justification. Interlocutors Teresa M. Bejan, John Horton, Chandran Kukathas, Daniel Weinstock, Melissa S. Williams, Patchen Markell and David Owen then critically examine Forst’s reconstruction of toleration, his account of political liberty and the form of critical theory that he articulates in his work on such political concepts. The volume concludes with Forst’s reply to his critics.

Table of Content

Part I: Lead essay

1 Toleration, progress and power – Rainer Forst

Part II: Responses
2 What’s the use? Rainer Forst and the history of toleration – Teresa M. Bejan
3 Let’s get radical: extending the reach of Baylean (and Forstian) toleration – Chandran Kukathas
4 Tales of toleration – John Horton
5 Overcoming toleration? – Daniel Weinstock
6 On turning away from justification – Melissa S. Williams
7 Power, attention, and the tasks of critical theory – Patchen Markell
8 Power, justification and vindication – David Owen

Part III: Reply
9 The dialectics of toleration and the power of reason(s): reply to my critics – Rainer Forst
Index

About the author

Rainer Forst is Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy at Goethe University, Frankfurt and Co-Director of the Research Institute ‘The Formation of Normative Orders’