Rights and Hate Speech
(Dee Speaking)

 
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Although I see many problems with utilitarianism, and enormous advantages to a theory of rights, I am not sure how to justify such a theory.

One of the approaches I have been looking at lately is taken by the philosopher Loren Lomasky. He describes people as "project pursuers" who adopt and carry out long term goals or projects that give unity and meaning to their lives. Raising a family or writing the great American novel would qualify as projects. Being a project pursuer is intimately connected with having rights. It is because we are all project pursuers who can recognize others as project pursuers that we all have reason to establish a system of rights that will guarantee us a broad degree of noninterference.

A broad right to free speech is implied here because free expression is necessary for us to carry out our projects.

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