I may misunderstand what you are saying, and while I defend passionately the right for others to have diametrically opposing views to mine and to express those views, I ask you:
Does the public sharing of bomb-making and the encouragement of using those bombs to kill and maim our fellow humans - women, children and men - fa…
I may misunderstand what you are saying, and while I defend passionately the right for others to have diametrically opposing views to mine and to express those views, I ask you:
Does the public sharing of bomb-making and the encouragement of using those bombs to kill and maim our fellow humans - women, children and men - fall into such a freedom?
Does the sociopath or psychopath have the right to publicly express their hatred of people of other skin colour, religion, ethnicity, economic philosophy and their plans to harm those they look down upon and hate with a passion?
Do safety concerns for others ever override the right to express hatred and the means to give harmful action to such hatred?
Barry, I don’t know the answer to these questions at an intellectual level, but do my heart-felt best to stop the expression of hatred and incitement of violence.
"Does the public sharing of bomb-making and the encouragement of using those bombs to kill and maim our fellow humans - women, children and men - fall into such a freedom?"
To answer this question, consider what the world would be like if we answer, "No!" Governments would still have that knowledge, and governments would still be populated by the worst kinds of human beings on earth (those who seek to dominate others and those who once had lofty motives but once tasting the intoxication of power are corrupted by it). Is it better that the worst among us, who also hold the reins of official power, have this knowledge exclusively, or that it be available to everyone? I'd prefer the latter.
Another perspective: is it better for people who advocate mindless violence to declare themselves openly, or for them to be driven underground in secret organizations? I'd prefer the former, where it is easier to keep eyes on their machinations.
As you rightly pointed out, censorship has a potentially devasting downside.
One that can lead to and maintain dictatorships, as we see currently in China, Iran, and Russia and has occurred throughout human history.
Are you saying that we cannot maintain the freedom to express our beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge while stopping the propagation of evil?
Our Western democracies, from what I wittness, are in severe decline, socially, morally, economically and politically and none more so than the USA.
I have visited your country 33 times starting in 1972.
I’ve done lots of business, been educated there, travelled widely, have created and sustained some dear friends, and the deterioration over the past 52 years I’ve witnessed in all four aspects of the social, moral, economic and political states has shocked and saddened me.
You may be right, JDL. I may be completely mistaken. I don’t know.
Kindness, understanding, wisdom and common sense are the human qualities that support a sustainable society, sustainable families, sustainable relationships and a sustainable planet.
"Are you saying that we cannot maintain the freedom to express our beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge while stopping the propagation of evil?"
Yes. Because the people who would "stop the propagation of evil" would be human beings, subject to the same foibles as everyone is. Also subject to the corruption which power apparently inevitably brings to nearly everyone who attains it.
I don't think social deterioration follows from greater legal freedom, but if anything the opposite: the more the government micromanages lives, the more people find inappropriate ways to release the anger this engenders.
Thank you Barry
I may misunderstand what you are saying, and while I defend passionately the right for others to have diametrically opposing views to mine and to express those views, I ask you:
Does the public sharing of bomb-making and the encouragement of using those bombs to kill and maim our fellow humans - women, children and men - fall into such a freedom?
Does the sociopath or psychopath have the right to publicly express their hatred of people of other skin colour, religion, ethnicity, economic philosophy and their plans to harm those they look down upon and hate with a passion?
Do safety concerns for others ever override the right to express hatred and the means to give harmful action to such hatred?
Barry, I don’t know the answer to these questions at an intellectual level, but do my heart-felt best to stop the expression of hatred and incitement of violence.
Warmly … John
Thanks for the provocative questions, John.
In the USA there is an excellent organization, FIRE, (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) that promotes free speech on college campuses.
In this short essay, they explain the differences between degrees of incitement and hate speech and what is protected in the USA: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/unprotected-speech-synopsis
Does this answer every possible nuance? No but in the the world of form nothing can.
In the USA this type of bill, at least for now, would be soundly rejected: https://www.spectator.com.au/2023/09/labors-misinformation-bill-an-egregious-attack-on-free-speech/
Thanks for the links! The one for thefire.org link needs one last letter: https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/unprotected-speech-synopsis
Thank you! I've corrected the link.
"Does the public sharing of bomb-making and the encouragement of using those bombs to kill and maim our fellow humans - women, children and men - fall into such a freedom?"
To answer this question, consider what the world would be like if we answer, "No!" Governments would still have that knowledge, and governments would still be populated by the worst kinds of human beings on earth (those who seek to dominate others and those who once had lofty motives but once tasting the intoxication of power are corrupted by it). Is it better that the worst among us, who also hold the reins of official power, have this knowledge exclusively, or that it be available to everyone? I'd prefer the latter.
Another perspective: is it better for people who advocate mindless violence to declare themselves openly, or for them to be driven underground in secret organizations? I'd prefer the former, where it is easier to keep eyes on their machinations.
Thank you, JdL.
As you rightly pointed out, censorship has a potentially devasting downside.
One that can lead to and maintain dictatorships, as we see currently in China, Iran, and Russia and has occurred throughout human history.
Are you saying that we cannot maintain the freedom to express our beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge while stopping the propagation of evil?
Our Western democracies, from what I wittness, are in severe decline, socially, morally, economically and politically and none more so than the USA.
I have visited your country 33 times starting in 1972.
I’ve done lots of business, been educated there, travelled widely, have created and sustained some dear friends, and the deterioration over the past 52 years I’ve witnessed in all four aspects of the social, moral, economic and political states has shocked and saddened me.
You may be right, JDL. I may be completely mistaken. I don’t know.
Kindness, understanding, wisdom and common sense are the human qualities that support a sustainable society, sustainable families, sustainable relationships and a sustainable planet.
They all seem in short supply at present.
Warmly … John
"Are you saying that we cannot maintain the freedom to express our beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge while stopping the propagation of evil?"
Yes. Because the people who would "stop the propagation of evil" would be human beings, subject to the same foibles as everyone is. Also subject to the corruption which power apparently inevitably brings to nearly everyone who attains it.
I don't think social deterioration follows from greater legal freedom, but if anything the opposite: the more the government micromanages lives, the more people find inappropriate ways to release the anger this engenders.