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The way people blindly defend this simplified notion of Free Speech makes it seem as though they believe it is some kind of universally guaranteed right that is
by davesque 6y ago
The way people blindly defend this simplified notion of Free Speech makes it seem as though they believe it is some kind of universally guaranteed right that is like a law of physics. No, we enjoy this luxury of debating the ethics of free speech because we live in a society that permits it. Right now, that society faces an imminent threat from violent insurrectionists. We need to prevent them from organizing and carrying out their plan. I don't care if it wades into questionable ethical territory. This is not the time for a nuanced debate. This is the time for action.
- chillacy 6y agoI'm all for acknowledging the problems of free speech but I don't like the emergency powers argument either. It's far too easy to sacrifice your virtues, whatever they might be (sacrifice some privacy to catch terrorists, sacrifice social progress to pump the economy).
- pie_flavor 6y agoFree speech is not the protection of the speech you don't mind. It is the protection of the speech you vigorously hate. The speech you don't mind needs no special protection. To borrow a quote from Scott Alexander: "But then someone else says “Well, if they get their exception, I deserve my exception,” and then someone else says “Well, if those two get exceptions, I’m out” [...] Civilization didn’t conquer the world by forbidding you to murder your enemies unless they are actually unrighteous in which case go ahead and kill them all."
- m94710 6y agoI appreciate your point and I don’t have anything to add to the conversation but your italics comes across as condescending.