Deeper Foundations? (John Speaking)
		Comment				MAIN PATH: Ann
		Ann

What I hear you saying is that some of the standard justifications for a liberal policy on freedom of expression have problems. They may contain some truth, but they have also become clichés.

All of this makes me a little hesitant to raise another question that I think is important. We have suggested at least four justifications for a liberal policy on expression:

• It facilitates the search for truth
• It facilitates social progress in some broad sense
• It is needed for a well-functioning democracy
• It facilitates the growth of individuality

But when we were saying these things, it struck me that none of it runs very deep. Most of what we're saying is that free speech has some practical value. Maybe it helps us to understand subatomic particles or build better roads. But what about ethical theory and political philosophy? What can they contribute to the justification of free expression? Or, at least, we can ask what is the connection between free expression and political philosophy?

Ariadne Home	Hate Speech Bibliography	Hate Speech Home