“Freedom of speech lies at the heart of classical liberal thought. Without it, classical liberals have always understood, most other freedoms are nearly unprotectable and scarcely meaningful. Yet today, in America as in many ostensibly liberal nations, the freedom to speak one’s mind is under assault.” (Jonathan H. Adler, fee.org) The issue of freedom of speech suppression is not something that happened over night, it has been going on in America for decades. If asked why America is a great county, an average American will say: “Because we are free.” The term “freedom” is very difficult to define, and everyone has their own idea/definition of what freedom is to them. Today, freedom seems to exist more in our minds than in reality. Yes, there
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“Fundamentalism” is described to be those who are convinced that they know the truth, and therefore do not need to listen to criticisms and opposing points of view. Rauch defines “Fundamentalism” as the “search for certainty rather than for errors. Throughout the book, Rauch also defends what he calls “liberal science”. “Liberal science” is described as “liberal societies’ open-ended, decentralized system for developing knowledge by subjecting ideas, and often their proponents, to public criticism-from then-newfangled attacks by those who sought to protect minorities from excoriating or discriminatory speech.” (Rauch, reason.com) Liberal science, by it’s very nature “has little tolerance for Fundamentalism; conversely Fundamentalism is a threat to liberal science. Fundamentalism seeks a monopoly on knowledge from which it can deny the beliefs put forth by others.” (Jonathan H. Adler, fee.org) According to Rauch, “a liberal society stands on the proposition that we should all take seriously the idea that we might be wrong. This means we must place no one, including ourselves, beyond the reach of criticism (no final say); it means that we must allow people to err, even where the error offends and upsets, as it often will.” (Rauch) Rauch says that people who limit certain types of speech that they find offensive or hurtful to others, just want to enjoy the benefits of a liberal society without accepting the necessary costs of having one. Rauch describes “Egalitarianism” as appeals to the ideal of fairness and “Humanitarianism” as a “challenge from compassion.” On pages 158 and 159, Rauch encourages people to “stand firm” on the principles of Egalitarianism” and “Humanitarianism”, which are
“Fundamentalism” is described to be those who are convinced that they know the truth, and therefore do not need to listen to criticisms and opposing points of view. Rauch defines “Fundamentalism” as the “search for certainty rather than for errors. Throughout the book, Rauch also defends what he calls “liberal science”. “Liberal science” is described as “liberal societies’ open-ended, decentralized system for developing knowledge by subjecting ideas, and often their proponents, to public criticism-from then-newfangled attacks by those who sought to protect minorities from excoriating or discriminatory speech.” (Rauch, reason.com) Liberal science, by it’s very nature “has little tolerance for Fundamentalism; conversely Fundamentalism is a threat to liberal science. Fundamentalism seeks a monopoly on knowledge from which it can deny the beliefs put forth by others.” (Jonathan H. Adler, fee.org) According to Rauch, “a liberal society stands on the proposition that we should all take seriously the idea that we might be wrong. This means we must place no one, including ourselves, beyond the reach of criticism (no final say); it means that we must allow people to err, even where the error offends and upsets, as it often will.” (Rauch) Rauch says that people who limit certain types of speech that they find offensive or hurtful to others, just want to enjoy the benefits of a liberal society without accepting the necessary costs of having one. Rauch describes “Egalitarianism” as appeals to the ideal of fairness and “Humanitarianism” as a “challenge from compassion.” On pages 158 and 159, Rauch encourages people to “stand firm” on the principles of Egalitarianism” and “Humanitarianism”, which are