In July 9th, 1722, inside one of his numerous letters written under the Silence Dogood pseudonym, Benjamin Franklin established the foundations of modern liberties: “Without freedom of speech, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech…”
The concept of freedom and its limits has played a significant role in the history of Western thought, including theories from prominent figures, such as Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls. While freedom, in any of its manifestations, justifies capitalism and liberalism, it can also lead to unethical social behaviour and selfishness.
Nowadays, we are witnessing a series of protests happen in many universities. Unfortunately, most of them don’t end with both sides equally satisfied with the outcome; they resort to violent and severe responses to get their point across. Where can we draw the line between the free expression and exchange of ideas that benefit society, and this kind of hostile behaviour? Where does the limit to our freedom lie? We, as a richly diverse community of individuals, should put these questions forward, and aim to reflect upon the topic, most importantly, regarding its relevance in our world’s societies.
As a send-off, I leave you with the rest of Franklin’s quote, which is often cut short: “…which is the Right of every Man, as far as by it, he does not hurt or control the right of another”. Many politicians, philosophers, sociologists, and public speakers debate on the premise that it is the free exchange of ideas and beliefs through freedom of expression that allow democracies to prosper. Or is it really?
The Raccoon Gazette 