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Freedom of Speech under Assault on Campus. Policy Analysis No. 796

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Freedom of Speech under Assault on Campus. Policy Analysis No. 796
Language: English
Authors: Jacobson, Daniel, Cato Institute
Source: Cato Institute. 2016.
Availability: Cato Institute. 1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001-5403. Tel: 202-842-0200; Fax: 202-842-3490; e-mail: subscriptions@cato.org; Web site: http://www.cato.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2016
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Descriptors: Freedom of Speech, Policy Analysis, Campuses, Resistance to Change, College Environment, Academic Freedom, Violence, Educational Practices, College Administration
Abstract: John Stuart Mill thought higher education should not tell us what it is our duty to believe, but should "help us to form our own belief in a manner worthy of intelligent beings." He added that "there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine," regardless of its falsity, immorality, or even harmfulness. The classical liberal argument for free speech has historically been championed in two distinct ways. First, the Founding documents of the United States recognize freedom of speech as a natural right. Second, alternatively, that right might be grounded in utility, meaning its acceptance best promotes human flourishing. In this article, the author examines Mill's philosophy on freedom of speech and how it has been challenged at American universities.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2018
Accession Number: ED579396
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:John Stuart Mill thought higher education should not tell us what it is our duty to believe, but should "help us to form our own belief in a manner worthy of intelligent beings." He added that "there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine," regardless of its falsity, immorality, or even harmfulness. The classical liberal argument for free speech has historically been championed in two distinct ways. First, the Founding documents of the United States recognize freedom of speech as a natural right. Second, alternatively, that right might be grounded in utility, meaning its acceptance best promotes human flourishing. In this article, the author examines Mill's philosophy on freedom of speech and how it has been challenged at American universities.