Words can wound just like physical violence. Free speech protects the powerful and benefits only those on the right. Disinformation must be eradicated at any cost. These are some of the most common arguments made for restricting free speech. In this book, Greg Lukianoff and Nadine Strossen explain why they believe these arguments fail. Each author responds to the arguments from their own perspective, drawing on law, history, and concrete contemporary cases.
The debate over the limits of free speech is more urgent today than ever.
The authors don't deny that words can have real consequences and the potential to cause harm. But they ask when restricting speech is justified, whether censorship actually solves the problems it targets, and what unintended consequences it may bring. They examine hate speech, the shouting down of speakers, the marketplace of ideas, the relationship between free speech and power, and the question of who should decide what is true, whether anyone should, and how.
War on Words is a brisk, accessible defense of one of the core principles of a free society. Above all, it is a reminder of an uncomfortable truth: free speech only means something when we are willing to defend it for views we ourselves disagree with.
"Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff are among the most dedicated defenders of free speech and the First Amendment today. War on Words is required reading for anyone who cares about free speech."
—JONATHAN HAIDT, author of The Anxious Generation
"Anyone who opposes the forcible silencing of people will inevitably encounter arguments that suppressing speech isn't so bad after all. But these arguments were weighed and rejected decades ago, and War on Words is a superb practical guide to answering them, from a hero and heroine of free speech."
—STEVEN PINKER, author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…
"In an era of growing polarization, War on Words is an important reminder that free speech protects democracy itself. Lukianoff and Strossen make a compelling, principled, and timely case."
—RO KHANNA, U.S. Congressman
"Free speech urgently needs special protection today, and this book shows every reader how to stand up for it clearly, openly, and powerfully."
—FLOYD ABRAMS, author of The Soul of the First Amendment
Greg Lukianoff is the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure.
Nadine Strossen, professor emerita at New York Law School and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991–2008), is a senior fellow at FIRE and an internationally recognized free speech expert and advocate. Her most recent book is Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know®.
Copyright © 2022 Institute H21 z.ú. - Všechna práva vyhrazena.
Design a webové stránky vytvořil Pavel Švejda
We study electoral systems, the development of the D21 – Janeček Method, and issues of democracy.
About usCopyright © 2022 Institute H21 z.ú. - All rights reserved.
Design and website created by Pavel Švejda
