The Dangers of Free Speech

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I think I agree with you that taking the long view, it seems like free debate, being able to talk about anything has been really good. But it doesn't also feel to me like that's a law of the universe, that truth will always win out. It does seem that you could at least imagine a sort of environment where people are not well enough trained in critical thinking and propaganda so effective. And I do wonder whether as the landscape shifts, as technology shifts and can be used in different ways, media changes, whether we are in danger of eventually being in an environment where free speech actually doesn't get us to a good equilibrium.

When is a certain speech act an opinion versus a call to action? Does that distinction matter for censorship purposes? Why does it seem that human behavior tends towards censorship rather than towards freedom of expression? Is feeling emotionally or politically harmed a valid reason for censoring certain speech acts? Will it always be the case that, given enough time, truth will win out over ignorance, bullshit, misinformation, and lies? What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for creating a society in which truth wins at the end of the day? Why are citizens so often attracted to populist and/or fascist ideologies and political parties? What value does religion provide to a society?

Iona Italia is the editor-in-chief of Areo Magazine and the host of its Two for Tea podcast. Iona is the author of two books: Anxious Employment (a study of eighteenth-century essayists) and Our Tango World (sociological and philosophical musings on dance and life). She holds a PhD in English Literature from Cambridge University and publishes weekly creative non-fiction pieces on her Substack, The Second Swim. Her background includes a decade in academe and a 12-year career as a tango dancer and teacher. Iona lives in London with four old friends. She loves dancing, running, choral singing, chess, dogs, and sci-fi.

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