Freedom of Speech Part 2
Due to comments received on my
recent post regarding the freedom of speech, it’s clear that some issues I
raised in that article require expansion and clarification.
Over the last few decades several
forces have been at work in certain liberal western democracies, which have
unfortunately, weakened our willingness and ability to confront a number of
unsupportable and clearly harmful beliefs and dogmas.
I believe that key among these
forces are:
1 The expansion of human rights
legislation
2 The doctrine of
multiculturalism
3 The rise and promulgation of
political correctness
4 The growth and spread of moral and
cultural relativism as an acceptable philosophical position.
In many ways these four forces
are inextricably linked and believing in the opinions they promulgate has led
to a diminution of both free speech and freedom of conscience. Many of the
ideas in the above areas have unquestionably been adopted from the best of
intentions and the noblest of motives. However, I believe they have also worked
to undermine resistance to toxic and irrational opinions.
In our desire to be seen to be
fair and even-handed, we have fallen into the trap of attempting to treat all
moral and cultural differences as equally valid and of equal value.
This has inevitably led to some
pretty unedifying attempts to justify clearly unacceptable practises as not necessarily
‘worse,’ but simply ‘different.’
We need to have the courage and
conviction to acknowledge the superiority of some moral positions and cultural
practises over others and stop asserting that all beliefs, opinions and actions
possess equal moral value.
For example, I would wish to
argue that it is not simply different not to kill people for apostasy and
adultery, it’s better.
It’s better not to mutilate the
genitals of young children. It’s better not to subjugate women and deny them equal
rights. It’s better not to believe things without good evidence. It’s better
not to brainwash children into believing in invisible sky monsters. It’s better
not to allow courts based upon belief in an unknowable god to decide upon
questions of justice. It’s better not to condemn people to death because they
write a book, make a film, publish a cartoon or any other way insult one’s
beliefs.
Everyone has an absolute right to
believe whatever they wish. What they do not have, not now, and I hope not
ever, is the right to have their beliefs respected. You as an individual have
rights. Your beliefs do not. I’m afraid that this clear and absolute distinction
has tragically escaped the minds of many liberal and left-leaning thinkers.
Unless we in the West begin to vigorously
assert the inviolability of our hard won freedoms, we shall find them eroded
and diminished by default.
It would be an immense tragedy
for the whole of western civilisation if were we to lose our rights and
freedoms to a world view born in the minds of bronze-age, illiterate dessert tribesmen, who thought the earth was flat and for whom the wheelbarrow was the pinnacle of technological achievement.
However, it would be absolutely
unforgivable, if we gave them away without a fight.
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