The first symposium for the Citizens' Symposium is up. The subject is free speech. It has three interactions:
(1) Steve Gimbel's Free Speech, For What?, with a reply from Errol Lord.
(2) Errol Lord's The Respect Model for Freedom of Expression
(3) Omyma's Censorship by Aggression vs. Free Speech for Wimps: Don’t Throw Out the Scales with the Blindfold, Ms. Liberty
Steve Gimbel has a reply to both Lord and Omyma together, which can be found with either of their articles.
Gimbel argues that freedom of speech is an instrumental good; in particular, it is good insofar as it conduces to the pursuit of truth. Lord argues for a broader conception of freedom of expression on the basis of respect for persons as ends in themselves. Omyma looks at the problem of protection of the freedom of speech that, in effect, gives power to those who can most shamelessly treat speech as an aggressive weapon, thus contributing to the restriction of the freedom of speech by those who are more civil and moderate.
