Tolerance

Name: Tolerance
ISBN: 9787569915938

Hendrik Willem van Loon / 端木杉Beijing Times Chinese Press · ChinaAug 2017

4.2

Word count: 188K words
Chapters: 33
ISBN: 9787569915938

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Summary

Tolerance is a history of humanity's "intolerance," a history of human suffering, and even more a history of human struggle. Through the tragic fates of a series of famous historical figures who influenced the world for more than two thousand years, Van Loon analyzes the tragic course humanity has traveled in pursuit of the right to think, revealing a truth bought by countless people at the price of blood and tears: only by tolerating different ideas can humanity achieve progress and liberation. From ancient Greece through the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, Van Loon tirelessly turns a European "history of intellectual liberation" into a history of the struggle between tolerance and tyranny. The constant combat of good and evil, darkness and light, progress and reaction lets the light of human reason shine through the thick clouds of history from time to time.

Editor's review

Tolerance is not a light general-history reader but a book of reflection that reconnects the course of European thought along the thread of "intolerance." Van Loon is skilled at compressing long history into fateful fragments of a few key figures, letting readers see how thought control falls concretely on individuals and how reason struggles to grow in the cracks. Duanmu Shan's translation is relatively fluent and suitable as an entry version into Van Loon's intellectual world. The book's value lies not in complete historical detail but in a stance for viewing history: the attitude toward dissent often determines the spiritual breadth of an era. Read it as a mirror that reflects both the past and the narrowness and impatience of today's public discourse. It suits slow reading in quiet hours; pause after each chapter and compare the historical situation with your own experience, and you will gain more than from reading it in one go.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in European intellectual and religious history but without systematic training
Thinkers who want to understand the relationship between "tolerance" and "dissent" from a historical perspective
Readers who like narrative history writing and have little patience for purely academic styles
Teachers, students and general-education course participants who need readings in the humanities

Not a good fit for

Professional historians expecting strict academic verification and detailed annotations
Beginning readers seeking a systematic framework of European general history
Readers with little patience for religious controversy and narratives of historical tragedy

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to grasp the main thread of "intolerance," then proceed chapter by chapter.
After each chapter, note in two or three sentences the core conflict and the fate of the figures involved.
When encountering unfamiliar religious sects or historical events, pause to look up background material before continuing.
After finishing, return to the introduction and check whether your understanding of "tolerance" has changed.

About the publisher

Beijing Times Chinese Press China · Founded in 2011

Beijing Times Chinese Press takes classic works and prose miscellanies as an important publishing direction, along with foreign literature, social novels, Eastern philosophy and art books. Its catalogue includes such Chinese classics as Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering, Xiao Hong's The Field of Life and Death, Zhang Dai's Reminiscences of Tao'an, Yuan Mei's Recipes from the Sui Garden and Hong Yingming's Caigentan, as well as foreign classics such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Rashomon. Among its translator resources is Wen Jieruo, whose translations provide reliable support for bringing foreign literary works into the Chinese-speaking world. While organizing traditional texts and reissuing classics, the press pays attention to readability and accessibility of editions, enabling ancient prose, notes and philosophical works to reach contemporary readers. Public information is limited; the above is only a brief account of the publishing directions reflected in the books held in the database.

版权信息
序言
第一章无知的暴政
第二章希腊人
第三章禁锢的开始
第四章上帝的晨光
第五章囚禁
第六章生活之纯
第七章宗教裁判所
第八章艰难的求知
第九章向印刷文字开战
第十章历史写作的普遍性与本书的特殊性
第十一章文艺复兴
第十二章宗教改革
第十三章伊拉斯谟
第十四章拉伯雷
第十五章旧世界的新招牌
第十六章再洗礼教徒
第十七章索兹尼家族
第十八章蒙田
第十九章阿米尼乌斯
第二十章布鲁诺
第二十一章斯宾诺莎
第二十二章新的天国
第二十三章太阳王
第二十四章腓特烈大帝
第二十五章伏尔泰
第二十六章百科全书
第二十七章革命的不宽容
第二十八章莱辛
第二十九章汤姆·佩恩
第三十章最后一百年
后记但是这个世界并不幸福

FAQ

Is this book a general history of Europe?

No. It does not take politics, economics or military affairs as its main line but unfolds around thought suppression and resistance to it, selecting the fates of historical figures to present the mechanism of "intolerance." It can serve as supplementary reading on one side of intellectual history but cannot replace systematic reading of European general history.

Can I understand it without a background in religious history?

Largely yes, because Van Loon excels at narrative and explains figures and events fairly clearly. But the book involves many sectarian disputes and theological differences, which are easily confused without background. It is advisable to look up key sect names as you go, and the reading experience will be much smoother.

What reading pace suits this translation?

It suits slow reading rather than speed reading. The thread runs from ancient Greece to the Enlightenment, with dense figures; rapid reading makes it easy to remember only the stories and lose the argument. Reading one or two chapters a day, leaving time to digest and compare with reality, better captures the author's concerns.

Are the book's views clearly partisan?

Van Loon has a clear stance; his critique of thought control runs through the book, and the narrative carries strong value judgments and emotion. Readers can appreciate his humanistic concern while noting his selective narration, treating it as one voice rather than a final verdict, and reading it alongside other histories is more reliable.

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About the author

Hendrik Willem van Loon Author · United States · 1882–1944

Hendrik Willem van Loon (1882–1944) was a Dutch-American writer and historian known for his popular works on history and the humanities. He rose to fame in 1921 with The Story of Mankind and continued writing for general readers; this catalog includes 49 of his works. Representative titles include The Story of Mankind, Tolerance, The Story of the Bible, The Home of Mankind, and Van Loon's Geography, along with collected classics and adapted editions for young readers. His writing spans world history, foreign literature, popular science, philosophy, and inspirational growth, and he was skilled at presenting complex historical developments and humanistic knowledge to a broad audience in clear, lively prose that is both informative and readable. His works have circulated widely and remain accessible introductions to Western history and culture. Public information about his detailed biography is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

端木杉 Author

Duanmu Shan is a full-time translator about whom limited public information is available. His main role is translating foreign popular history and humanities works. His translations include Van Loon's Tolerance and The Story of America, which touch on subjects such as Eastern philosophy and world history, showing that the translator has some experience in cross-cultural and cross-linguistic humanities and social science fields. As a translator, Duanmu Shan focuses on bringing foreign popular history and humanities works to Chinese readers; his translations serve the accessibility and readability of the originals, enabling classic works by authors such as Van Loon to reach readers in Chinese. The database currently contains two of his translations, while information about his personal life, educational background, and translation career remains insufficient and awaits further supplementation.