Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction
Voltaire's comment--"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"--is frequently quoted by defenders of free speech. Yet it is rare to find someone prepared to defend all freedom of speech, especially if the views expressed are obnoxious or obviously false. So where do we draw the line? How important is our right to freedom of speech? In this accessible and up-to-date Very Short Introduction, Nigel Warburton covers a wide range of controversial free-speech issues, from Holocaust denial and pornography to the status of modern copyright law. The book offers a concise guide to many of the vexing issues concerning our right to speak freely, including: Should a civilized society set limits on freedom of speech? How can we balance free speech with the sensitivities of religious and minority groups? How have digital technology and the Internet changed the debate?
About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
allow Amendment Andres Serrano argued artistic blasphemy laws cartoons Catherine MacKinnon Censoring pornography censorship Chapter Christians communication copyright law counter-speech dangerous David Irving debate Deborah Lipstadt deeply offensive defenders of free democracy democratic discussion Dworkin example false film free expression free market free speech free speech principle freedom of expression freedom of speech hardcore pornography Harm Principle hate speech Holocaust denial images important incitement to violence includes individual Internet Islam issue John Stuart Mill kind liberal Liberty limits Lipstadt Mapplethorpe's market in ideas merit Michael Mill's arguments moral Muslim newspaper opinion paedophile particularly Penguin people's words philosophical photograph political Posner potential prevent protestors psychological harms published question religion religious believers restriction reuse risk Rowan Atkinson Satanic Verses sexual silenced slippery slope society Socrates someone sort taking offence Theo van Gogh toleration totalitarian truth United Kingdom views weblog websites women writers