Homo tolerant in the value system “essentialism — existentialism”

Abstract

The article is based on the data of the comparative sociological study of the latest wave ofthe EVS and WVS (2017–2022) and considers values through the opposition “essentialism— existentialism”. The authors use the methodological approach to identifying a system of values, which was developed by R. Inglehart and K. Welzel. According to the level of tolerance, 82 countries were placed on the “essentialism — existentialism” scale: in most cases, intolerance to the other is poorly differentiated. Intolerance extends to all objects that differ from the accepted standard. The authors identify two groups of indicators of tolerance — to origin (racial or ethnic) and to behavior patterns — based on correlation and factor analysis. To identify the number of factors, the authors used the procedure based on the values of the correlation matrix, then the orthogonal rotation method (varimax). The resulting model has high quality characteristics and shows a strong connection between the level of tolerance to other behavior patterns and the level of economic well-being of the country. The level of social trust also affects the level of tolerance: the higher the level of social trust, the higher the tolerance to other behavior patterns, and, on the contrary, the higher the level of distrust (disunity), the higher the level of intolerance to differences, i.e., disunity, atomization and mistrust determine intolerance to others. People supporting the existentialist principle are more tolerant to differences in the worldview, lifestyle, behavior and customs. The dominance of essentialism or existentialism in society leads to specific legal consequences, for example, in the state migration, marriage-family and religious policies. Thus, the study of tolerance allows to locate the country on the “essentialism — existentialism” scale.