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"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
This Voltaire quote is very popular online, usually in a context like this:
Article: Some random schmuck of middling celebrity said that Arabs smell funny
Online poster: [Voltaire quote]
Occasionally this means "I agree that Arabs smell funny," but usually this means "First amendment! First amendment! First amendment!" or whatever the filthy Communist equivalent is in the poster's unAmerican home country. And in each and every case my first thought is, "no, you wouldn't defend to the death somebody's right to say that Arabs smell funny" or whatever the relevant quote is. Maybe you'd complain about it, maybe you'd sign a stupid online petition or even write a letter to your Congressman (or member of Parliament or Crown Prince or whatever), but you would stop well short of death at your defense of somebody's right to say that Arabs smell funny.
So the question is, what forms of speech would you defend (to the death! or, more realistically, to your imprisonment) somebody's (possibly your own) right to be stated (there appear to be parsing errors in this sentence, sorry)? And please try to limit the slippery slope nonsense, e.g. "I'd defend to the death the banning of the word 'superfluidity' because then it would be only a matter of time until they banned the word 'Christian'" is slippery slope nonsense.
This Voltaire quote is very popular online, usually in a context like this:
Article: Some random schmuck of middling celebrity said that Arabs smell funny
Online poster: [Voltaire quote]
Occasionally this means "I agree that Arabs smell funny," but usually this means "First amendment! First amendment! First amendment!" or whatever the filthy Communist equivalent is in the poster's unAmerican home country. And in each and every case my first thought is, "no, you wouldn't defend to the death somebody's right to say that Arabs smell funny" or whatever the relevant quote is. Maybe you'd complain about it, maybe you'd sign a stupid online petition or even write a letter to your Congressman (or member of Parliament or Crown Prince or whatever), but you would stop well short of death at your defense of somebody's right to say that Arabs smell funny.
So the question is, what forms of speech would you defend (to the death! or, more realistically, to your imprisonment) somebody's (possibly your own) right to be stated (there appear to be parsing errors in this sentence, sorry)? And please try to limit the slippery slope nonsense, e.g. "I'd defend to the death the banning of the word 'superfluidity' because then it would be only a matter of time until they banned the word 'Christian'" is slippery slope nonsense.
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