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Free Speech and Why It Matters

Why It Matters

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Free Speech and Why It Matters

By: Andrew Doyle
Narrated by: Andrew Doyle
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About this listen

Free speech is the bedrock of all our liberties, and yet in recent years, it has come to be mistrusted. A new form of social justice activism, which perceives language as potentially violent, has prompted a national debate on where the limitations of acceptable speech should be drawn. Governments throughout Europe have enacted 'hate speech' legislation to curb the dissemination of objectionable ideas, Silicon Valley tech giants are collaborating to ensure that they control the limitations of public discourse, and campaigners in the US are calling for revisions to the First Amendment.

However well-intentioned, these trends represent a threat to the freedoms that our ancestors fought and died to secure. In this incisive and fascinating book, Andrew Doyle addresses head-on the most common concerns of free speech sceptics, and offers a timely and robust defence of this most foundational of principles.

©2021 Andrew Doyle (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK Freedom & Security Politics & Government Freedom Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

"A fantastically timely book written by one of the smartest thinkers in Britain." (Piers Morgan)

"Impassioned, scholarly and succinct." (The Times)
All stars
Most relevant
Succinct argument for freedom of speech with playful overtones. I will gladly revisit this book.

Succinct argument and playful

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This is a short and well put explanation of just how far the West has fallen and what needs to be done to rectify it.

An Essential Read

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An excellent academic analysis of free speech as the foundation of liberal democracy. A worthy modern furtherance of J.S. Mill On liberty,

Very good

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Doyle succinctly modernises free speech principles for the social media age, which has forgotten them.

A voice of reason in troubling times

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Andrew Doyle is the Voltaire of our age. The quality, clarity, and precision of his powers of reason and his socially constructive critical thinking are of the highest order, academically, philosophically, and practically. A thoroughly educated and informed author who does humanity a great service in his ethical dissection of ignorant and wrong-headed (albeit often well-meaning) 'woke' ideologists and social justice warriors, while underscoring the incredible value and importance of hard fought-for rights of free speech and the need for younger generations to guard against its erosion by those who would happily and often unwittingly drive us towards the cliff edge of suppressive societies of totalitarian dictatorships and thought police. Absolutely essential reading/listening for anyone with a brain and an ounce of social conscience. This should be read by every politician and leader and be placed on the curriculums of every school and university in the world.

An incredibly important book

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