9 ms·
It's an interesting argument. I sure get distressed when otherwise intelligent and educated Americans sincerely tell me: "Sure I believe in free speech, but yo
by skookumchuck 9y ago
It's an interesting argument.
I sure get distressed when otherwise intelligent and educated Americans sincerely tell me: "Sure I believe in free speech, but you can't let that guy say those things!" They'll throw it all away for some insignificant gain.
- ben_w 9y agoI hear that. Counterpoint: propaganda is a thing, how do you get the benefits of robust (and I don’t mean loud or rude) debate to find the best policies without the risks of propaganda? How do I know I have not fallen for propaganda myself when I argue for or against some policy?
- skookumchuck 9y agoYou don't know. You accept that when you accept free speech. Besides, propaganda vs truth is like porn vs art. It's impossible to define, and there's no human I'd trust to make such decisions (not even myself).
- ben_w 9y agoThere is only one truth, there are many possible propagandas. If the truth cannot be known, then we don’t have democracy, we have government by highest advertising budget.
- pixl97 9y agoSorry, the truth can't be known. There are likely some physics laws that can explain this better than I can, but the farther in time you get from a physical event, the more information is lost (entropy leaving your light cone). This leads to 'evidence' that allows multiple valid interpretations.
- ben_w 9y agoThose who say the world is flat are wrong. Those who say it’s sphical are also wrong, but less wrong. Those who say they are equally wrong are more wrong than either of them. I want to be less wrong.
- kelnos 9y agoHow prevalent is that, really? I have literally never heard anyone say that, ever. I've certainly heard people express anger or disgust at some things people have said, but I have not heard anyone ever suggest that it should be illegal to say those things.
- didgeoridoo 9y agoIt’s a pretty standard view among the left in the US that “hate speech is not protected speech”, and that anything they deem to be “hateful” should be illegal.