> it boggles me that this is not a corner stone of the American Left
In my memory as a kid who grew up in the US south in the 80s, this was a cornerstone of the left. Maybe my perception was wrong back then, or maybe my memory of it is wrong, but that’s what I recall.
I suspect this is a pendulum. Maybe those who are in power devalue freedom of thought / expression and those who are out of power champion it. The incentives for such an effect are pretty clear.
Anyway, I tend to be libertarian (classical liberal) for this among other reasons. It’s not because it’s “the best” political philosophy, but rather because I dislike the holes in other philosophies more than the holes in this one.
Yup, I remember the 80s. The moral majority types were the biggest supporters of censorship and threat to free speech. It was the young and the artists etc protesting for free speech.
> I suspect this is a pendulum. Maybe those who are in power devalue freedom of thought / expression and those who are out of power champion it. The incentives for such an effect are pretty clear.
Those who are in power value freedom of thought/expression for themselves, and devalue it for those out of power. Those who are out of power value it for themselves, and to get it, they sometimes advocate it for all, rather than just for those out of power.
The classical liberals stand out by advocating freedom of thought and expression for all, even when they themselves were in power. The current American left... not so much.
In my memory as a kid who grew up in the US south in the 80s, this was a cornerstone of the left. Maybe my perception was wrong back then, or maybe my memory of it is wrong, but that’s what I recall.
I suspect this is a pendulum. Maybe those who are in power devalue freedom of thought / expression and those who are out of power champion it. The incentives for such an effect are pretty clear.
Anyway, I tend to be libertarian (classical liberal) for this among other reasons. It’s not because it’s “the best” political philosophy, but rather because I dislike the holes in other philosophies more than the holes in this one.