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description: A global history of free speech from the ancient world to todayHailed as the first freedom free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today in democracies and authoritarian states around the world it is on the retreat.In Free Speech Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal political and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speechs many defendersfrom the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Rz to the anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells and modern-day digital activistsMchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech too is a constant and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all stripes.Meticulously researched and deeply humane Free Speech demonstrates how much we have gained from this principleand how much we stand to lose without it.
language: English
title: Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media
publisher: Basic Books