Friday, March 03, 2006

Peter Singer on Free Speech

That purveyor of unpopular opinions, Peter Singer, has spoken out in favor of free speech for David Irving, a historian recently convicted in Austria of breaking its law against denial of the Holocaust.

In the March 1st edition of the Jerusalem Post, Singer argues that "David Irving has a right to free speech, too":
We cannot consistently hold that cartoonists have a right to mock religious figures but that it should be a criminal offense to deny the Holocaust. I believe that we should stand behind freedom of speech. And that means that David Irving should be freed.
Why does Singer support free speech? Because without free expression, progress would be stymied:
[F]reedom of speech is essential to democratic regimes, and it must include the freedom to say what everyone else believes to be false, and even what many people find offensive. We must be free to deny the existence of God, and to criticize the teachings of Jesus, Moses, Muhammad and Buddha, as reported in texts that millions of people regard as sacred. Without that freedom, human progress will always run up against a basic roadblock.
Therefore, concludes Singer, free speech should be granted to Irving, and moreover:
Only when David Irving has been freed will it be possible for Europeans to turn to the Islamic protesters and say: "We apply the principle of freedom of expression evenhandedly, whether it offends Muslims, Christians, Jews or anyone else."
In one of my entries on the controversy over the images of Muhammad, someone named "Cut" -- who may have been a Muslim -- posted in the comments some cutting remarks about the inconsistency of Westerners who call for free expression but jail David Irving for denying the Holocaust:
How many western nations ban anti-Semitic language (including comedy)? I know of 8 in Europe. None of these countries make a crime of anti-Islamic speech. Today, David Irving is in an Austrian jail for past work denying the holocaust...
I think that "Cut" and Singer are both correct on this point, and in my response to "Cut," I affirmed free speech even for racists:
I'm for free speech, so I oppose banning opinions that are deemed racist.
In short, I agree with "Cut" and with Singer that supporting free speech for the Jyllands-Posten while denying it for David Irving is inconsistent.

Support free speech. Consistently.

7 Comments:

At 7:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe John Scalzi said, "Free speech, even for dickheads."

 
At 9:21 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Well, that's an offensive way to put it!

Scalzi ought to be locked up.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 10:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

One could argue that special European circumstances require the curtailment of Holocaust denial, just as Muslims would say that special circumstances require them to curtail blasphemy in their countries. The bottom line is that a large minority of Muslims is trying to dictate Muslim norms to the west, in the west. I find that incredibly offensive.

 
At 1:17 PM, Blogger Jessica said...

This is why I love the ACLU. They defend the Bill of Rights to no end.

That said, I don't believe in absolute freedom of speech. When it interferes with others' rights, shouldn't we draw a line? For example, the loud groups of gay-bashers who show up at funerals of Iraq soldiers to yell at surviving family members--that's just not right.

 
At 2:27 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Nathan, I think that the Europeans could handle Holocaust denial and meet it with rational argument. As for the blasphemy laws in Muslim countries, these are very often enforced in ways that apply pressure to religious minorities and thus ought to be opposed by persons concerned for human rights.

Jessica, I agree that free speech is not an absolute -- in the sense that one is not free to voice one's opinions just anytime and anywhere that one wants. There are proper and improper moments and places.

By the way, why do "gay-bashers" yell as the funerals of those soldiers who died in Iraq?

Jeffery Hodges

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At 11:01 AM, Blogger Jessica said...

Very good question. News of the weird from CNN.

 
At 4:07 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

After looking at the news report, Jessica, I think that I'll just let that one pass...

Too much to think about already.

Jeffery Hodges

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