This book presents a collection of philosophical essays on freedom and tolerance in the Netherlands. It explores liberal freedom and its limits in areas such as freedom of speech, public reason, sexual morality, euthanasia, drugs policy, and minority rights. The book takes Dutch practices as exemplary test cases for the principled discussions on these subjects from the perspective of political liberalism. Indeed, the Netherlands may be viewed as a social laboratory in human tolerance. During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, Holland took the lead in a global emancipation process towards a society based on equal freedom. It was the first country to legalize euthanasia, soft drugs and gay marriage. In the final sections, the book examines the question of whether the political murders on the politician Pim Fortuyn and the film director Theo van Gogh, the reactions to Ayaan Hirsi Ali's film Submission, as well as the success of the populist politician Geert Wilders are signs ofthe end of Dutch tolerance. Although it recognizes that the political climate has taken a conservative turn, the book shows that the Netherlands still shows remarkable tolerance.

Autorentext

Cornelis Willem (Cees) Maris is emeritus Professor of Legal Philosophy and Legal Sociology at the Faculty of Law at the University of Amsterdam. He is also Visiting Professor of Legal Philosophy at the University of Curaçao.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Can We Learn from History? A Letter to Mr John Locke, Philosopher.- Sex, Morality and Law.- My Story: Ascertaining the Truth in Cases of Incest.-  Dutch Weed and Logic.- I Have No Regrets: Dutch Euthanasia.- One of Us: On Human Identity and Freaky Justice.- We Want Our Freedom: Slavery and Public Reason.- I Have Cleansed My Honour: Multiculturalism and the Dutch Pillar System.- Close the Borders!: Dutch Intolerance and Freedom of Speech.- Laïcité **in the Low Countries? On Headscarves in a Neutral State.- Coda: The End of Tolerance?