Thanks for this needed discussion. Readers may be interested in the most recent volume of Index on Censorship. It carries a piece by Kathleen Stock and is followed by one from a trans activist Phoenix Andrews entitled 'This is hate, not debate'. IoC intervened to support Maya Forstater but for consistency's sake they give space to Andrews. If JS Mill and Noam Chomsky are wrong in their deeper justification of defending freedom of expression then I want to hear why they are wrong. Simply name calling (hate speech being defined as speech from people we hate) is not an argument but a tautology. Sadly social media tend to encourage such simplifications. If you are not immediately in sympathy with a comment then the heavens fall on you. If you ask a question you are told to 'do the research' if you offer a worked out view then you are accused of mansplaining if you have the wrong genitals. In the academy too many roll over and self-censor and too many are tolerating the new authoritarianism of woke 'consumers' who are dictating who can and cannot teach them. I find this all very depressing.
Dr David Pilgrim23 min ago
Thanks for this needed discussion. Readers may be interested in the most recent volume of Index on Censorship. It carries a piece by Kathleen Stock and is followed by one from a trans activist Phoenix Andrews entitled 'This is hate, not debate'. IoC intervened to support Maya Forstater but for consistency's sake they give space to Andrews. If JS Mill and Noam Chomsky are wrong in their deeper justification of defending freedom of expression then I want to hear why they are wrong. Simply name calling (hate speech being defined as speech from people we hate) is not an argument but a tautology. Sadly social media tend to encourage such simplifications. If you are not immediately in sympathy with a comment then the heavens fall on you. If you ask a question you are told to 'do the research' if you offer a worked out view then you are accused of mansplaining if you have the wrong genitals. In the academy too many roll over and self-censor and too many are tolerating the new authoritarianism of woke 'consumers' who are dictating who can and cannot teach them. I find this all very depressing.