This book which we place in the hands of the reader, titled European Ideas on Tolerance, is the result of a seminar held at the Jagiello-nian University from 6-8 March 2006 in cooperation with the JU Institute of European Studies and the Institute of German Studies at the University of Munich. Nearly three years have passed since. The discussion between the participants which has come about in the meantime has spurred us to publish the presentations then given. The greatest intellectual tension was brought about not by the controversies surrounding the shared history and matters affecting the union of the resettled, but rather that we still know too little about one another. The subject of tolerance also led us to attempt to reach a deeper understanding of this often-used but imprecise concept. We also could not overlook our common Anglo-Saxon literature nor shared classical culture.
