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Intellectual freedom and the culture wars / Piers Benn.

9783030571078 (electronic bk.)
3030571076 (electronic bk.)
3030571068
9783030571061

Cham : Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.

©2021

English

1 online resource (ix, 158 pages)

10.1007/978-3-030-57107-8 doi

JC585 .B46 2021eb

323.44

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.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Online resource; title from PDF title page (Ebook Central, viewed April 1, 2021).

Palgrave studies in classical liberalism.

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