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Free Speech, Hate Speech, and Censorship Envy

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Published July 18, 2024

With the rise of censorship and heightened political division on college campuses, the freedom of speech – especially for controversial or even hateful views – has become more crucial than ever for fostering intellectual growth and societal progress. To better serve all students, universities across the United States should do more protect First Amendment rights. By safeguarding open discourse, including unpopular opinions, universities can maintain their role as bastions of knowledge advancement, prepare students to engage in our democratic society, challenge their own beliefs, develop critical thinking skills, and combat harmful ideas through robust debate rather than suppression.

Eugene Volokh is the Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and host of the Hoover Institution podcast, Free Speech Unmuted.

Check out more from Eugene Volokh:

  • Read "Sad Thoughts About American Politics" from Eugene Volokh here.
  • Read "Allowing "Black Lives Matter" Signs in Classrooms But Forbidding "All Lives Matter"/"Blue Lives Matter" Might Violate First Amendment" from Eugene Volokh here.
  • Listen to Free Speech Unmuted - "Internet Policy and Free Speech: A Conversation with Rep. Ro Khanna" with Eugene Volokh here.

The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2024 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.