Finding the Harm in Hate Speech
An Argument against Censorship
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6237602 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen L Newman (0000-0002-0319-8353, York University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 679-697 |
| Publication date | 2017-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0008423916001219 |
| OpenAlex | W2582601590 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
The liberal justification for censorship equates the harm in hate speech with the sort of tangible injury that would justify state intervention under J.S. Mill's harm principle. Recently, Jeremy Waldron has suggested that the real harm perpetuated by hate speech is less tangible, taking it to be a variety of moral pollution which undermines both the public good of inclusiveness and the minority's assurance of personal dignity. This paper scrutinizes Waldron's conception of the harm in hate speech, arguing that it lacks the specificity and gravity Mill's principle requires in order to justify censorship. The paper also questions the categorical distinction between hate speech and speech that is “merely offensive,” arguing that Waldron's reasons for censoring the one also apply to the other. The result is a censorship regime that liberals ought not to accept
Argument (complex analysis · Censorship · Dignity · Economics · Epistemology · Fallacy · Harm · Harm principle · Law and economics · Mill · Offensive · Political science · Sociology · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · History · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · War, Ethics, and Justification
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,17 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |