Ma`rifat Siyasi

The tolerance theory is one the theoretical achievements of the West which has been part of the political and philosophical discourse of pseudo-intellectual trend in the Third World countries for more than a century. The roots of this theory in the contemporary world must be sought in the Renaissance and the following centuries. John Locke is one of the first philosophers who wrote an independent treatise on this subject. In this treatise, he tries to expound the reasons and causes of necessity of civil ruler's tolerant treatment with different social classes explaining the scope of tolerance and mechanisms to extend it to social life. Expounding the grounds for the appearance of this theory in the Western world, the present paper tries to analyze and criticize its theoretical principles. Giving detailed explanation of these principles does not mean accepting them; rather, it aims at understanding the intellectual backgrounds that encouraged Locke and other theorists of tolerance to present it and promote it.