EN
The present paper is an attempt to understand tolerance in meta-philosophical reflection (hence the question posed in the title: Should a philosopher be tolerant?). By doing so the author links a contemporary debate on the nature of philosophy and philosopher’s profession. The opposing views are being considered here – on the one hand those according to which tolerance is a much desired feature of a philosopher, and on the other hand those according to which the value of tolerance in philosophy is questioned. Our attention is focused on the answer to the following question: How is it possible to reconcile the requirement to seek the truth (with its methodological and axiological rigours) with the postulate 0that we should be tolerant of different views and treat the plurality of views and statements as a positive value. It has been shown that it is possible to accept the value of tolerance within the field of philosophy while remaining neutral with regard to disputes concerning the acceptance or refusal of post-modern ideas and statements. A postulate of tolerance can be formulated even if one is a conscious and consequent representative of meta-philosophical options of classical philosophy or analytical philosophy. The statements in which the concepts of tolerance and plurality are used come mainly from the representatives of the Lviv-Warsaw School. The author analysed and compared them. The opinions under study treat tolerance as a positive value. It is contrasted with aggression and compared with humbleness which a philosopher needs. It is also treated as a moral virtue which a philosopher needs. From such a point of view it is possible to adjust it to a clear presentation of one’s opinions and defence of one’s own views. The following suggestion of Tadeusz Kotarbiński was quoted: “whenever you deal with someone else, always try to put yourself in his position, look upon the problem from his point of view. It gives understanding of someone’s opinion, raises the spirit of tolerance, weakens the intensity of conflicts”.