Abstract
The idea that speech should be afforded special protection can be explained by a presupposition in favour of speech, and philosophers have searched for a principle that justifies this exalted position. There are four prominent arguments for why speech is special: (1) free speech is a human right; (2) it fosters truth; (3) it promotes autonomy; and (4) it fosters democracy. This chapter demonstrates that these arguments fail to provide the required justification for a “principled” defence of free speech.
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van Mill, D. (2017). Justifications of Free Speech. In: Free Speech and the State. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51635-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51635-6_2
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