Ashoka argued against intolerance a

Ashoka argued against intolerance and in favour of the under¬standing that even when one social or religious sect of people find themselves opposed to other ones, 'other sects should be duly hon-oured in every way on all occasions'. Among the reasons he gave for this behavioural advice was the broadly epistemic one that 'the sects of other people all deserve reverence for one reason or another'. But he went on to say: 'he who does reverence to his own sect while dis¬paraging the sects of others wholly from attachment to his own sect, in reality inflicts, by such conduct, the severest injury on his own sect, Ashoka was clearly pointing to the fact that intolerance of other people's beliefs and religions does not help to generate confidence in the magnanimity of one's own tradition. So there is a claim here that the lack of smartness in not knowing what may inflict 'the severest injury' on one's own sect - the very sect that one is trying to promote - may be stupid and counter-productive. That kind of behaviour would be, on this analysis, both 'not good' and 'not smart'.