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The Scientific Importance of Free Speech


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2018 Apr 22, 9:26am   3,104 views  16 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (55)   💰tip   ignore  

http://quillette.com/2018/04/13/scientific-importance-free-speech/

Today, there are many reasons to be concerned over the state of free speech, from the growing chill on university campuses to the increased policing of art forms such as literature and film. Discussion of scientific topics on podcasts has also attracted the ire of petty Lysenkoists. But there is also cause for optimism, as long as we stand up for the principle that no one has the right to police our opinions. As Christopher Hitchens remarked. “My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line, and kiss my ass.”


Hitchens could tell people to kiss his ass because his employment was not dependent on conformity. But in the SF Bay Area, James Damore simply could not make a polite and well reasoned argument about, say, women in engineering without losing his job because the Lysenkoists demanded that they had the right to police his opinion.

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1   FortWayne   2018 Apr 22, 9:36am  

Just got me thinking of this one Patrick.

I think that world history and bible teaches us by vast amount of examples that freedom of speech gets opinions out there and lets us solve problems. Without it, we are only allowed to think what a little intellectual ruling elite and their media pets what to feel and think. Lack of freedom of speech really limits nation's intelligence and opinion pool down to only a few rulers. Very anti American, we were founded on basic premise of freedom of speech and religion, because those are all good ideas.

As I always said, I rather listen to Dan's (what I consider as utterly wrong and misguided) comments, than to live in a nation where a man could not speak his mind freely.

Lately the left has been very Nazi about policing opinions, especially here in CA. Trump is literally bringing freedom back into America with running his mouth and twitter, and not giving a shit about thought police, who pretend to be shocked every day when it doesn't align with their thought policing policies.
2   curious2   2018 Apr 22, 9:57am  

Patrick says
James Damore simply could not make a polite and well reasoned argument....


Damore made an argument, but to match that description would have required using better communication skills and more attention to the quality of evidence. His points about demographics and engineering failed to persuade partly because of those issues; his memo functioned more as a rallying cry for people who agreed already with him (and disagreed with his employer). He was more polite and used better reasoning than Charlie Sheen, but both failed to acknowledge that they needed the skills and efforts of others on their teams, and how to communicate effectively with team leadership. I respect James Damore and I love Charlie Sheen, but they could have done better.

Randa Jarrar presents an interesting test: her publc comments are neither polite nor well reasoned, and they reflect the divide and conquer deception strategy typical of her Muslim doctrine, but they are speech. Islam commands her to go to Mecca. I think it would be reasonable to offer her a free ticket, on condition she must never return. If she refuses, then she exposes herself as a hypocrite in addition to being a racist. The issues are (a) whether tenure will protect her, and (b) whether her employer will find even the courage to denounce her hypocrisy, racism, poor or deceptive "reasoning," and rudeness.

BTW, parts of the Bible prohibit blasphemy, and the OT 10 commandments prohibit taking the lord's name in vain, so it takes a really selective reading (wishful projection) to imagine it endorsing free speech. In the OT, the Israelites kill each other over forgetting the sabbath and worshipping a golden calf, for example. The Bill of Rights (10 Amendments) broke that Biblical tradition, with the First Amendment saying basically the opposite of the first 5 OT commandments.
3   Ceffer   2018 Apr 22, 10:18am  

Gore's banner "An Inconvenient Truth" was neither inconvenient, nor was it a truth. Coining a brittle "scientific" agenda for political purpose and then persecuting the "unfaithful" has been around since B.C.

"Lysenkoists tend to be liberal" Heh, Heh!
4   rocketjoe79   2018 Apr 22, 10:54pm  

WarrenTheApe says
Guess this means that the Left is really anti-science, then.


More like, the Left is just plain Fascist by attempting to block any kind of speech. Last I heard, words in and of themselves don't kill people.

I can choose not to believe any speech, but I have to use this thing called...reasoning. When simple words cause people so much hurt they curl up into a ball, they should stop and examine their mental fitness, toughness and wellness.
5   EBGuy   2018 Apr 23, 12:38am  

Our fearless leader is now posting articles from Quillette. PatNet may soon become part of the Intellectual Dark Tubez. Meanwhile, JBP continues to ascend dominance hierarchy. (Some thoughts about free speech in the video).
www.youtube.com/embed/8wLCmDtCDAM
6   Shaman   2018 Apr 23, 7:47am  

curious2 says
He was more polite and used better reasoning than Charlie Sheen, but both failed to acknowledge that they needed the skills and efforts of others on their teams, and how to communicate effectively with team leadership. I respect James Damore and I love Charlie Sheen, but they could have done better.


It sounds like what you’re saying is that an expressed opinion should be executed with an appropriate level of skill in communications(or perhaps it’s not worthy of protections?). Obviously I added the bit in brackets, but your argument just appeared to lead in that direction.
7   curious2   2018 Apr 23, 12:25pm  

Quigley says
It sounds like what you’re saying is that an expressed opinion should be executed with an appropriate level of skill in communications(or perhaps it’s not worthy of protections?).


I was trying to say that the way they expressed their opinions may have affected their employers' response. Wielding a machete on a rooftop while drinking "tiger blood," or telling senior managers that they "need" to do what a subordinate says, can distract from the opinion expressed. As for protections in the private sector, it will be interesting to see how James Damore fares vs Google.

Neither example got arrested or decapitated, as might have happened if they had disagreed with Islam in a Muslim country, no matter how polite and well reasoned their argument. That is literally policing opinion, and typically Islamic: in most countries with Muslim majorities, most Muslims demand it.
8   MisdemeanorRebel   2018 May 15, 4:08pm  

What actually happened:



There was actually a lawyer who was disbarred for lying about video game violence (to a Court) the same way Sarkesian did.

9   Patrick   2018 May 15, 8:59pm  

It's important to show a little respect for the other side, or free speech will be wasted on deaf ears.
10   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2018 May 15, 9:06pm  

Patrick says
It's important to show a little respect for the other side, or free speech will be wasted on deaf ears.


You mean a phrase like "normalizing Trump supporting" is not helpful?
11   marcus   2018 May 15, 9:08pm  

FortWayne says
thought police, who pretend to be shocked every day when it doesn't align with their thought policing policies


People who are bothered by having a President that is as dishonest as TRump, are not "thought police."

You can't even admit to 1 10th of Trumps lies, and you ramble on with your fantasies about him being a free speech advocate.

We're talking about the same President that would very happily shut down the entire free press if he could.

Trump cucks really need to get a clue as to what's going on.

http://time.com/5261014/michelle-wolf-trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner/
12   marcus   2018 May 15, 9:12pm  

From that piece about the white house correspondents dinner:


They’re both missing what was missing: The President.

No matter what the comedian’s politics have been since the dinner began letting comics lead the event in 1983, the President of the United States was there to respond. The President got his chance to roast and counter-attack in the spirit of the evening and, yes, in the spirit of unity. President Trump is the first in decades to hold his office and not attend — which last occurred in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan, who called in by phone while recovering from an assassination attempt. Like all bullies, current President “I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon” is a coward. He’s capable of delivering his “witticisms” against the media, Democrats and others only from a safe distance. Like all bullies, he can never engage on an even playing field.

Yessiree, Saturday night he was the funniest guy in Washington, Michigan. No contest.

When I did the dinner in 1993, President Bill Clinton had just come off one of the worst first 100 days in office: the Tailhook scandal, the Branch Davidian fiasco, not getting his budget passed and so on. Yet he showed up, took the hits and brilliantly answered in the spirit of the evening. That takes intelligence.

Wolf was “wildly inappropriate” and “raunchy” and didn’t take the high road? The high road was demolished at Donald Trump’s first presidential debate and is now a sinkhole. Mocking the disabled is inappropriate. Raunchy and vulgar? Well, that’s just locker room talk. If only Michelle Wolf had smiled more…

Whatever you think of this dinner, it’s a venerable tradition in a free country that celebrates a free press. By not attending, this president continues his bulldozing of American traditions like decency, inclusiveness and fair play. His review from afar? “This was a total disaster and an embarrassment to our great Country.” He ought to know. The comic reflects the times.

13   Onvacation   2018 May 18, 6:27am  

Feux Follets says
Hate speech

If hate speech is defined as anything that can hurt feelings we got a problem.

Feux Follets says
hate speech be tolerated regardless of the obvious and well documented harm it causes

Harm? Hurt feelings? What ever happened to "sticks and stones "?

Snowflakes gotta toughen up. The world is harsh and there are way more harmful things than words, like being prosecuted for teaching your dog to salute like a nazi.
14   marcus   2018 May 18, 6:39am  

Onvacation says
Snowflakes gotta toughen up


Are we talking about Trump, who wants to relabel factual stories he doesn't like (or that hurt his feelings) as fake news.
15   Onvacation   2018 May 18, 7:21am  

marcus says

Are we talking about Trump,

No. We are talking about people who get butthurt when you get their pronouns wrong or point out that men and women are different.
16   Ceffer   2018 May 19, 8:29am  

Your politicians are skeevy, scurvy demonic conspiring liars. My politicians are invariably honest, selfless, honorable and prudent.

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