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OPINION|STEVENPINKER

Why free speech is fundamental

ByStevenPinker JANUARY 2 7, 2 015

MORETHANtwocenturiesafterfreedomof
speechwasenshrinedintheFirstAmendmentto
theConstitution,thatrightisverymuchinthe
news.Campusspeechcodes,disinvited
commencementspeakers,jailedperformance
artists,exiledleakers,abloggercondemnedtoa
thousandlashesbyoneofourclosestallies,and
themassacreofFrenchcartoonistshaveforced
thedemocraticworldtoexaminetherootsofits
commitmenttofreespeech.
Isfreespeechmerelyasymbolictalisman,likea
nationalflagormotto?Isitjustoneofmany
valuesthatwetradeoffagainsteachother?Was
PopeFrancisrightwhenhesaidthatyoucannot

BEEJOHNSONFORTHEBOSTONGLOBE

makefunofthefaithofothers?Mayuniversities
muzzlesomestudentstoprotectthesensibilitiesofothers?DidtheCharlieHebdo
cartoonistscrossalinethatseparatesfreespeechfromtoxictalk,asthedeanofa
schoolofjournalismrecentlyopined?Orisfreespeechfundamentalarightwhich,if
notabsolute,shouldbeabrogatedonlyincarefullycircumscribedcases?
CONTINUEREADINGBELOW

Theansweristhatfreespeechisindeedfundamental.Itsimportanttoremind
ourselveswhy,andtohavethereasonsatourfingertipswhenthatrightiscalledinto
question.
Thefirstreasonisthattheverythingweredoingwhenweaskwhetherfreespeechis
fundamentalexchangingandevaluatingideaspresupposesthatwehavetheright
toexchangeandevaluateideas.Intalkingaboutfreespeech(oranythingelse)were
talking.Werenotsettlingourdisagreementbyarmwrestlingorabeautycontestora
pistolduel.Unlessyourewillingtodiscredityourselfbydeclaring,inthewordsofNat
Hentoff,freespeechformebutnotforthee,thenassoonasyoushowuptoadebate
toargueagainstfreespeech,youvelostit.
Thosewhoareunimpressedbythislogicalargumentcanturntoonebasedonhuman
experience.Onecanimagineaworldinwhichoracles,soothsayers,prophets,popes,
visionaries,imams,orgurushavebeenvouchsafedwiththetruthwhichonlythey
possessandwhichtherestofuswouldbefoolish,indeed,criminal,toquestion.History
tellsusthatthisisnottheworldwelivein.Selfproclaimedtruthershaverepeatedly
beenshowntobemistakenoftencomicallysobyhistory,science,andcommon
sense.
Perhapsthegreatestdiscoveryinhumanhistoryonethatispriortoeveryother
discoveryisthatourtraditionalsourcesofbeliefareinfactgeneratorsoferrorand
shouldbedismissedasgroundsforknowledge.Theseincludefaith,revelation,dogma,
authority,charisma,augury,prophesy,intuition,clairvoyance,conventionalwisdom,
andsubjectivecertainty.
How,then,canweknow?Otherthanbyprovingmathematicaltheorems,whicharenot
aboutthematerialworld,theansweristheprocessthatthephilosopherKarlPopper
calledconjectureandrefutation.Wecomeupwithideasaboutthenatureofreality,and
testthemagainstthatreality,allowingtheworldtofalsifythemistakenones.The
conjecturepartofthisformula,ofcourse,dependsupontheexerciseoffreespeech.
Weoffertheseconjectureswithoutanypriorassurancetheyarecorrect.Itisonlyby
bruitingideasandseeingwhichoneswithstandattemptstorefutethemthatweacquire
knowledge.
OncethisrealizationsankinduringtheScientificRevolutionandtheEnlightenment,
thetraditionalunderstandingoftheworldwasupended.Everyoneknowsthatthe
discoverythattheEarthrevolvesaroundthesunratherthanviceversahadtoovercome

fierceresistancefromecclesiasticalauthority.ButtheCopernicanrevolutionwasjust
thefirsteventinacataclysmthatwouldmakeourcurrentunderstandingoftheworld
unrecognizabletoourancestors.Everythingweknowabouttheworldtheageofour
civilization,species,planet,anduniversethestuffweremadeofthelawsthatgovern
matterandenergytheworkingsofthebodyandbraincameasinsultstothesacred
dogmaoftheday.Wenowknowthatthebelovedconvictionsofeverytimeandculture
maybedecisivelyfalsified,doubtlessincludingsomeweholdtoday.
Athirdreasonthatfreespeechisfoundationaltohumanflourishingisthatitis
essentialtodemocracyandabulwarkagainsttyranny.Howdidthemonstrousregimes
ofthe20thcenturygainandholdpower?Theansweristhatgroupsofarmedfanatics
silencedtheircriticsandadversaries.(The1933electionthatgavetheNazisaplurality
wasprecededbyyearsofintimidation,murder,andviolentmayhem.)Andoncein
power,thetotalitarianscriminalizedanycriticismoftheregime.Thisisalsotrueofthe
lessgenocidalbutstillbrutalregimesoftoday,suchasthoseinChina,Russia,African
strongmanstates,andmuchoftheIslamicworld.
Whydodictatorsbrooknodissent?Onecanimagineautocratswhofeatheredtheir
nestsandjailedorkilledonlythosewhodirectlyattemptedtousurptheirprivileges,
whileallowingtheirpowerlesssubjectstocomplainalltheywant.Theresagoodreason
dictatorshipsdontworkthatway.Theimmiseratedsubjectsofatyrannicalregimeare
notdeludedthattheyarehappy,andiftensofmillionsofdisaffectedcitizensact
together,noregimehasthebruteforcetoresistthem.Thereasonthatcitizensdont
resisttheiroverlordsenmasseisthattheylackcommonknowledgetheawareness
thateveryonesharestheirknowledgeandknowstheyshareit.Peoplewillexpose
themselvestotheriskofreprisalbyadespoticregimeonlyiftheyknowthatothersare
exposingthemselvestothatriskatthesametime.
Commonknowledgeiscreatedbypublicinformation,suchasabroadcastedstatement.
ThestoryofTheEmperorsNewClothesillustratesthelogic.Whenthelittleboy
shoutedthattheemperorwasnaked,hewasnottellingthemanythingtheydidnt
alreadyknow,anythingtheycouldntseewiththeirowneyes.Buthewaschangingtheir
knowledgenonetheless,becausenoweveryoneknewthateveryoneelseknewthatthe
emperorwasnaked.Andthatcommonknowledgeemboldenedthemtochallengethe
emperorsauthoritywiththeirlaughter.

Thestoryremindsuswhyhumorisnolaughingmatterwhysatireandridicule,even
whenpuerileandtasteless,areterrifyingtoautocratsandprotectedbydemocracies.
Satirecanstealthilychallengeassumptionsthataresecondnaturetoanaudienceby
forcingthemtoseethatthoseassumptionsleadtoconsequencesthateveryone
recognizesareabsurd.
Thatswhyhumorsooftenservesasanacceleranttosocialprogress.Eighteenth
centurywiseguyslikeVoltaire,Swift,andJohnsonridiculedthewars,oppressions,and
cruelpracticesoftheirday.Inthe1960s,comediansandartistsportrayedracistsas
thickwittedNeanderthalsandVietnamhawksandnuclearcoldwarriorsasamoral
psychopaths.TheSovietUnionanditssatelliteshadarichundergroundcurrentof
satire,asinthecommondefinitionofthetwoColdWarideologies:Capitalismisthe
exploitationofmanbymanCommunismistheexactopposite.
Weusebarbedspeechtounderminenotjustpoliticaldictatorsbutthepettyoppressors
ofeverydaylife:thetyrannicalboss,thesanctimoniouspreacher,theblowhardatthe
bar,theneighborhoodenforcerofstiflingnorms.
Itstruethatfreespeechhaslimits.Wecarveoutexceptionsforfraud,libel,extortion,
divulgingmilitarysecrets,andincitementtoimminentlawlessaction.Butthese
exceptionsmustbestrictlydelineatedandindividuallyjustifiedtheyarenotanexcuse
totreatspeechasonefungiblegoodamongmany.Despotsinsocalleddemocratic
republicsroutinelyjailtheiropponentsonchargesoftreason,libel,andinciting
lawlessness.Britainslaxlibellawshavebeenusedtosilencecriticsofpoliticalfigures,
businessoligarchs,Holocaustdeniers,andmedicalquacks.EvenOliverWendell
HolmessfamousexceptiontofreespeechfalselyshoutingFire!inacrowded
theateriseasilyabused,notleastbyHolmeshimself.Hecoinedthememeina1919
SupremeCourtcasethatupheldtheconvictionofamanwhodistributedleaflets
encouragingmentoresistthedraftduringWorldWarI,aclearexpressionofopinionin
ademocracy.
Andifyouobjecttotheseargumentsifyouwanttoexposeaflawinmylogicora
lapseinmyaccuracyitstherightoffreespeechthatallowsyoutodoso.
Related:
DanteRamos:Dictatingthetermsoffreespeech

WardSutton:Whencensorshipisthenorm
JoannaWeiss:Sony,TheInterview,andthepowerofsatire
StevenPinkerisprofessorofpsychologyatHarvardUniversity,andtheauthor,most
recently,ofTheSenseofStyle:TheThinkingPersonsGuidetoWritinginthe21st
Century.

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