{"id":956,"date":"2025-05-09T23:34:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T06:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/?p=956"},"modified":"2025-10-01T10:39:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T17:39:27","slug":"opinions-timeless-collection-of-essays-on-free-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/opinions-timeless-collection-of-essays-on-free-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion : Une collection intemporelle d'essais sur la libert\u00e9 d'expression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Opinion<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, you will find a timeless collection of essays on free speech as a philosophy, orations on its value to society, analyses of landmark cases, and reports on data germane to free speech. The collection will be updated periodically, so feel free to send us your favourite pieces for inclusion. To help orient you, we\u2019ve accompanied each link with a short descriptive blurb. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MAY, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A free speech absolutist pushes back against a philosopher:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2019\/3\/4\/18197209\/free-speech-philosophy-politics-brian-leiter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essay challenges a political philosophy paper called \u201cThe Case Against Free Speech<\/em>.\u201d The author of the paper argues that free speech does not, as commonly supposed, lead to the truth in the marketplace of ideas. The essay\u2019s counterpunch: So what? Politics is as much about values (how we live) as facts (what is true). And who gets to decide how we live without allowing the free exchange of ideas? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting free speech for the wrong reasons:<\/strong>  https:\/\/reason.com\/2024\/05\/17\/vox-wants-progressives-to-support-free-speech-for-the-wrong-reasons<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Is there such a thing as supporting a good cause for the wrong reasons? This essay in Reason, the magazine for \u201cfree minds and free markets,\u201d argues there is. Using the pro-Palestine protests that swept through American universities in 2024 as a case study, the essay calls out the hypocrisy of supporting free speech as a means to an end \u2013 such as protection from legal accountability \u2013 rather than a first principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Students reporting professors for wrongthink:<\/strong> https:\/\/greglukianoff.substack.com\/p\/survey-students-are-looking-to-report<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The survey discussed in this report confirms that free speech is not alive and well on campus. When asked if professors should be reported to the university for saying something that students find offensive, 71% of respondents said yes \u2013 and that\u2019s just one of the many double-yikes statistics to come out of the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Arguments for freedom: the many reasons why free speech is essential: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/news\/arguments-freedom-many-reasons-why-free-speech-essential<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        If you reflexively support free speech but have trouble explaining, feel free to borrow from the clear, muscular arguments in this essay by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). While discussed from a US perspective, the arguments transcend time and place. Like this one: \u201cFreedom of speech is closely connected to freedom of thought, an essential tool for democratic self-governance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        John Stuart Mill\u2019s enduring arguments for free speech:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/research-learn\/john-stuart-mills-enduring-arguments-free-speech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          If all roads lead to Rome, all discourse about free speech and censorship arguably leads back to British philosopher John Stuart Mill. As explained in this Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) essay, what most worried Mill about censorship was not the government\u2019s strong arm but the imposition of conformity by society itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Mill, free speech, and social media: <\/strong>https:\/\/philosophynow.org\/issues\/151\/Mill_Free_Speech_and_Social_Media<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            How does British philosopher John Stuart Mill\u2019s book On Liberty<\/em> hold up in the age of social media? This essay in Philosophy Now, a publication that delivers philosophy in everyday language, argues that social media presents major challenges to Mill\u2019s rationale for free speech: the free exchange of ideas in pursuit of truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Rethinking freedom of thought for the 21<\/strong>st<\/sup><\/strong> century: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.doughtystreet.co.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/document\/Rethinking%20Freedom%20of%20Thought%20for%20the%2021st.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Do you believe your thoughts are beyond reach? Maybe not, according to this academic paper. Published in 2017 in the European Human Rights Law Review<\/em>, the paper argues that, by providing new ways to access and manipulate human thought, technology could interfere with not just the freedom to say what we think, but the freedom to think our own thoughts. Paging Orwell, stat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Freedom of speech<\/strong>: https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/freedom-speech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has helpfully assembled key arguments for \u2013 and against \u2013 free speech in an interactive webpage. Click your way through the list to find out about the speaker theory, the listener theory, the \u201cchilling effects\u201d argument, external and internal constraints to free speech, and other goodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Matt Taibbi: how to fight back against the censors: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/matt-taibbi-censorship-free-speech-rescue-the-republic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  This article by journalist Matt Taibbi reproduces his speech at a 2024 rally in Washington, DC. Here\u2019s a taste: \u201cFreedom of speech\u201d is a beautiful phrase, strong, optimistic. It has a ring to it. But it\u2019s being replaced in the discourse by \u201cdisinformation\u201d and \u201cmisinformation,\u201d words that aren\u2019t beautiful but full of the small, pettifogging, bureaucratic anxiety of a familiar American villain: the busybody, the prohibitionist, the nosy parker, the snoop.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Canada\u2019s assault on free speech (Persuasion newsletter): <\/strong>https:\/\/www.persuasion.community\/p\/canadas-assault-on-free-speech<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    This article makes the case that Canada\u2019s Online Harms Act<\/em> (initially proposed in 2024 and now off the books \u2013 for now) would cut off Canadians\u2019 free speech protections at the knees. An amplification of the restrictions already in place under \u201chate speech,\u201d the Act<\/em> aimed to restrict expression that generates \u201cdetestation or vilification\u201d of a people of a protected class, such as race, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Freedumb, you say?<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.perspectivemedia.com\/freedumb-you-say\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                      One of the casualties of media reporting in the Covid era was freedom of expression. The author of this essay, FSU Canada communications officer Gabrielle Bauer, argues that the censorship of heterodox perspectives on pandemic management did more harm than the alleged \u201cinformation quality control\u201d resulting from this censorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Comedian Mike Ward wins free speech case in Supreme Court: <\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-59015486<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \n
                      1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                        Mocking disabled people is not a good look. But what if you\u2019re a comedian? And what if your schtick is to mock anything and everything? This report describes the legal challenges faced by Mike Ward, an edgy Quebec comedian, when he made fun of a disabled singer in a comedy routine. The Supreme Court ultimately agreed with Ward\u2019s contention that it \u201cshouldn’t be up to a judge to decide what constitutes a joke on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        Lessons from a teacher\u2019s college battle over free speech and decolonization: <\/strong>https:\/\/quillette.com\/2024\/11\/29\/lessons-from-a-teachers-college-battle-over-free-speech-and-decolonization\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          What happens when a student in teacher\u2019s college expresses heterodox opinions about such issues as colonization and gender ideology, thus making her learning environment an \u201cunsafe space?\u201d Written by FSU Canada advisory board member Jonathan Kay, this analysis charts the progression of an iconic free speech case that culminated in vindication for the student by the university\u2019s highest tribunal. [Note: FSU Canada is helping Margaret Munn take the next step in her legal journey \u2013 suing Western University<\/a> for damages.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Canada\u2019s assault on free speech:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.persuasion.community\/p\/canadas-assault-on-free-speech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                            Is free speech just one of many societal values, to be negotiated and balanced against other values such as safety and equality? Or should free speech come first, no matter what? What happens to a liberal democracy without it? For centrist political analyst Yascha Mounk, these questions lie at the heart of Canada\u2019s diminishing commitment to free speech. Spoiler alert: he\u2019s not a fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            Essais et articles sur la libert\u00e9 d'expression en tant que philosophie et sa valeur pour la soci\u00e9t\u00e9, comptes rendus et analyses d'affaires marquantes, etc.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"subject_status":[],"casename":[],"class_list":["post-956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=956"},{"taxonomy":"subject_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject_status?post=956"},{"taxonomy":"casename","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fsucanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/casename?post=956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}