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>What makes it a democracy is that all members of society participate in that conversation. Freely. Anything less is mere tyranny. I guess the keyword there is
by ivan_gammel 5y ago
>What makes it a democracy is that all members of society participate in that conversation. Freely. Anything less is mere tyranny.
I guess the keyword there is „that“, right? Freedom of speech should not be restricted if it helps to support the democracy, but OTHER conversations are different matter. As I said, freedom of speech is not absolute and is checked by other freedoms and rights.
- swayvil 5y agoTo suggest that any conversation is more deserving of a guarantee of sincerity than any other seems bad. Should we assume that there is an invisible man between us, transforming our words? That seems really bad to me.
- flenserboy 5y agoFreedom of speech is foundational for other rights. Take that away, and the other rights might as well not exist.
- ivan_gammel 5y agoThis is not correct. Nobody takes it away. It is limited by other rights through the laws that explain when and how the rights should be balanced.
- flenserboy 5y agoTalk of "balances between rights" always ends up in restrictions on liberty. Communitarianism sounds possibly workable until you start to realize that those making the laws you mention (if you're lucky to get them instead of vague guidelines, and then Katie bar the door) and those adjudicating the laws will only decide on the side of whatever benefits them and their cronies. That's taking away freedom of speech, that's taking away all sorts of rights. Liberty is too precious to leave it to politicians and bureaucrats.