Speak freely : why universities must defend free speech
By: Keith E. Whittington
Series: New forum books; New forum books
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 208
ISBN-13: 9780691181608
Subjects: Higher Education; Philosophy; Freedom of speech; Academic freedom
Description: "Free speech is under attack at colleges and universities today, with critics on and off campus challenging the value of open inquiry and freewheeling intellectual debate. Too often speakers are shouted down, professors are threatened, and classes are disrupted. In Speak Freely, Keith Whittington argues that universities must protect and encourage free speech because vigorous free speech is the lifeblood of the university. Without free speech, a university cannot fulfill its most basic, fundamental, and essential purposes, including fostering freedom of thought, ideological diversity, and tolerance. Examining such hot-button issues as trigger warnings, safe spaces, hate speech, disruptive protests, speaker disinvitations, the use of social media by faculty, and academic politics, Speak Freely describes the dangers of empowering campus censors to limit speech and enforce orthodoxy. It explains why free speech and civil discourse are at the heart of the university's mission of creating and nurturing an open and diverse community dedicated to learning. It shows why universities must make space for voices from both the left and right. And it points out how better understanding why the university lives or dies by free speech can help guide everyone--including students, faculty, administrators, and alumni--when faced with difficult challenges such as unpopular, hateful, or dangerous speech. Timely and vitally important, Speak Freely demonstrates why universities can succeed only by fostering more free speech, more free thought--and a greater tolerance for both."--Inside jacket flap.
Notes: Includes bibliographic notes (pages 181-198) and index.
Table of contents: title: The mission of a university; title: The tradition of free speech. Trigger warnings and safe spaces ; Hate speech ; Forms of protest ; Student groups and outside speakers ; Faculty and academic freedom; title: Free speech on campus; title: Ideological ostracism and viewpoint diversity on campus.