“We take, it seems to me, a naively self-righteous view when we argue as if the right of our opponents to speak were something that we protect because we are magnanimous, noble, and unselfish....
"[I]f we truly wish to understand why freedom is necessary in a civilised society, we must begin by realising that, because freedom of discussion improves our own opinions, the liberties of other men are our own vital necessity."
~ Walter Lippmann, from his 1939 essay 'The Indispensable Opposition'
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Wednesday, 6 April 2022
"...the liberties of other men are our own vital necessity."
1 comment:
We welcome thoughtful disagreement.
But we do (ir)regularly moderate comments -- and we *will* delete any with insulting or abusive language. Or if they're just inane or off topic. It’s okay to disagree, but pretend you’re having a drink in the living room with the person you’re disagreeing with. This includes me.
PS: Have the honesty and courage to use your real name. That gives added weight to any opinion.
Very true. There’s no surer way to become disconnected from reality than to become isolated from opposing opinion, or even just different perspectives you hadn’t considered. The fortunate aspect of that is that tyrants tend to be incompetent in achieving their goals and ultimately fail because of it, as we’re seeing with Putin’s faltering invasion of Ukraine.
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