Overview
- Offers a sustained and vigorous defence of free expression and objective enquiry situated in the context of the current culture wars
- Considers objections to free speech based on certain understandings of power and privilege
- Concludes with a rational, moral, and broadly spiritual solution to the cultural combat that monopolises present-day society
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism (PASTCL)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book offers a sustained and vigorous defence of free expression and objective enquiry situated in the context of the current culture wars. In the spirit of J. S. Mill, Benn investigates objections to the ideal of free expression in relation to harm and offence, reaching broadly liberal conclusions with reference to recent examples of attempts to curb free speech on university campuses. Accepting that some expressions can cause non-physical harm, Benn also considers objections to free speech based on certain understandings of power and privilege.
In its exploration and rejection of arguments against the possibility of obtaining objective truth, the book navigates hotly contested fields of contemporary debate, including feminism and identity politics. It challenges the dogma of social constructionism and examines current notions of identity, arguing that a case for fairness can be made without appealing to them. Offering a qualified endorsement of friendship between ideological opponents, Benn highlights common obstacles to civil and rational discussions, concluding with a rational, moral, and broadly spiritual solution to the cultural combat that monopolises present-day society.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Piers Benn teaches Ethics at Fordham University, London Centre and was a Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, UK. Previously he held Lectureships in Philosophy at the Universities of St. Andrews and Leeds, and in Medical Ethics and Law at Imperial College London. He is the author of Ethics (2000) and Commitment (2011). He is an occasional commentator for in the national media.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Intellectual Freedom and the Culture Wars
Authors: Piers Benn
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57107-8
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-57106-1Published: 11 October 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-57109-2Published: 11 October 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-57107-8Published: 10 October 2020
Series ISSN: 2662-6470
Series E-ISSN: 2662-6489
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 158
Topics: Ethics, Social Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology