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> Free speech is "about" whatever is in the first amendment It is very odd to assert that the morality of speech is completely, correctly, and undeniably estab

> Free speech is "about" whatever is in the first amendment It is very odd to assert that the morality of speech is completely, correctly, and undeniably established in a document written 250 years ago that defines the laws of only one country.

kneebonian 4y ago
It derives from philosophical thought and justification that rests on the idea that all men are created equal and that no one man is above another because of where or how they were born and that all men should be allowed to operate freely so long as they do not cause harm to others.
- Xeoncross 4y ago
  Yeah, we can't have that. That thinking is going to cause some obvious issues.
gazpachotron 4y ago
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trieste92 4y ago
> morality of speech Where are you getting this morality business from? Free speech is how it's defined in law, in the USA that's the 1st Talking about "morality of speech" is just noise and deserves the quotation marks
- lo_zamoyski 4y ago
  I do not agree with the OP's apparent presupposition that age somehow invalidates truth (without even giving us so much as an alternative and a basis for accepting it). However, the law is incomprehensible without morality. What on earth could you possibly take the law to be in the absence of morality? The natural law is the basis of morality and morality is the basis of law which is the particular and concrete determination of it in especially in matters concerning the common good. Yes, there is such a thing as immoral speech. Slander is an obvious example. Lies. But what should be subject to the law? That is a prudential question. And the 1st amendment is interpreted to some extent according to more or less prudential considerations.
lannisterstark 4y ago
Just because a document is written 250 years ago doesn't make it a 'bad' document. Why the fuck do I care what the laws in Australia are when I don't live in Australia. you should see how govts interpret the "morality" or "offending" clauses in nation-states like India and Egypt to give themselves more power and arrest dissidents.
wonderwonder 4y ago
The 1st amendment defines the law. It doesn't deal with morality because what is moral changes from generation to generation or from one party in power to the next. Its for this reason that the 1st amendment is so important. Morality changes all the time, the freedom to speak your mind on any topic should not.

kneebonian 4y ago

It derives from philosophical thought and justification that rests on the idea that all men are created equal and that no one man is above another because of where or how they were born and that all men should be allowed to operate freely so long as they do not cause harm to others.

Xeoncross 4y ago
Yeah, we can't have that. That thinking is going to cause some obvious issues.

gazpachotron 4y ago

[dead]

trieste92 4y ago

> morality of speech Where are you getting this morality business from? Free speech is how it's defined in law, in the USA that's the 1st Talking about "morality of speech" is just noise and deserves the quotation marks

lo_zamoyski 4y ago
I do not agree with the OP's apparent presupposition that age somehow invalidates truth (without even giving us so much as an alternative and a basis for accepting it). However, the law is incomprehensible without morality. What on earth could you possibly take the law to be in the absence of morality? The natural law is the basis of morality and morality is the basis of law which is the particular and concrete determination of it in especially in matters concerning the common good. Yes, there is such a thing as immoral speech. Slander is an obvious example. Lies. But what should be subject to the law? That is a prudential question. And the 1st amendment is interpreted to some extent according to more or less prudential considerations.

lannisterstark 4y ago

Just because a document is written 250 years ago doesn't make it a 'bad' document. Why the fuck do I care what the laws in Australia are when I don't live in Australia. you should see how govts interpret the "morality" or "offending" clauses in nation-states like India and Egypt to give themselves more power and arrest dissidents.

wonderwonder 4y ago

The 1st amendment defines the law. It doesn't deal with morality because what is moral changes from generation to generation or from one party in power to the next. Its for this reason that the 1st amendment is so important. Morality changes all the time, the freedom to speak your mind on any topic should not.