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4 Reasons Why Free Speech is So Misunderstood Today

4/26/2024

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Freedom of speech, despite being a fundamental principle of liberal democracy going back to the Enlightenment, has recently become a dirty word. Why? Because in today's regressive environment, freedom of speech misunderstood. One misunderstanding essentially boils down to the fact that defending someone's right to free speech is not the same as endorsing their views. These two things get conflated all the time, probably because people are not well educated in history and civics, and NGOs, government officials, and even journalists are increasingly exploiting people's ignorance about freedom of speech.

Also, and I'm not going to mince words here, many people today who should know better are cowards and ideologues. Even most "liberals," no longer have the stomach to defend freedom of speech when it is used by someone they disagree with. People often argue that, "Hate speech isn't free speech," or, "We should crack down on misinformation." The problem is, it doesn't work like that. Free speech is all or nothing. The American Civil liberties Union historically held that:

"History teaches that the first target of government repression is never the last. If we do not come to the defense of the free speech rights of the most unpopular among us...then no one's liberty will be secure. In that sense, all First Amendment rights are 'indivisible.'"

Setting aside the thorny issue of what actually constitutes offensive speech, it's important to understand that we don't tolerate offensive speech because we agree with it. We tolerate offensive speech because that is the price we pay for being able to criticize the state. This is a key point to understand. In what follows, I'll break this point down, as well as the 3 other important reasons why freedom of speech is misunderstood today:


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3 Great Children's Books About Ancient Greek and Roman Virtues

7/16/2022

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As a parent, children's librarian, and writer interested in Classical philosophy, I'm excited to share this month's post, which brings together all three of these areas.

While there are many fabulous fiction and non-fiction children's books about Classical antiquity, most focus on mythology or history. Those subjects are excellent in their own right, as knowledge of history and myth help us put things in historical context and allow us to dream.

However, with this list, I am especially focused on children's book that teach Classical virtues like courage, justice, moderation, and wisdom, and which illustrate how we can aspire to become a person of character. These 3 books help kids learn about important Greek and Roman virtues: 



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4 Life Lessons We Can Learn from the Cynics

11/19/2015

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The Cynics were ascetic philosophers of the Classical World. All that mattered to them was the practical applicability of wisdom. They were not concerned with theory and taught by the example of their lives, making a virtue of austerity, wit, and counter-culturalism.

They were quite eccentric, often going barefoot and living outside, which is where they picked up the moniker Cynic - based on the Greek word for dog. The most famous Cynic was Diogenes of Sinope. He commented, "I am called a dog because I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals."

Diogenes was known for his scathing social criticism. He often carried a lantern around Athens in the daytime, claiming to be looking for an honest man. His teacher was Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates who declared, "I would rather be mad than feel pleasure." Diogenes took the message to heart, voluntarily rejecting property and opining that Godlike men have few wants in life. Diogenes' life influenced Crates, a wealthy heir who abandoned his fortune to live on the streets of Athens. Cynics were also common in Rome later in antiquity.

Think there is nothing that we can learn from this band of wackos? Think again. We need not live a Cynic life ourselves to learn from the Cynic example. The best Cynic teachings offer us fabulous advice for practical living:



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