That's why in postmodern culture, the person to be feared is the one who believes that we can discover ultimate truth. The dogmatist , the totalizer , the absolutist is both naive and dangerous. A growing number, especially among the emerging generation, believe that reason and truth are inherently political and subversive. That's why they are often so cynical. Openness without the restraint of reason, and tolerance without moral appraisal are the new postmodern mandates.
European history is mixed.
But at the same time, it's hard not to be struck by the shallowness of the postmodern line of argument. If tolerance means that we can't offer criticism of others' beliefs, then invectives directed toward those who believe in objective spiritual truth seem out of bounds too. Any more, rejecting the content of faith means rejecting the person holding it, because truth now means personal preference and personal empowerment . It's no more appropriate to question the validity of a person's belief than to critique their choice from the dinner menu. Simply believing is justification enough.