Free Speech from Spinoza to Trump

3 units

Should hate speech be a criminal offense? Should it be illegal to burn the American flag? Should college students be allowed to write and say things that are offensive to their peers? Is it problematic for universities to prohibit on-campus protests that disrupt academic activities? Should social media companies censor false or harmful content on their platforms? This course will introduce students to contemporary issues of free speech, including hate speech, the freedom to protest, and social media regulation, and provide a survey of the philosophical and legal history of the principle of freedom of expression. We will study what Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), John Locke (1632-1704), John Stuart Mill (1807-1873), and the United States Supreme Court have said about free speech over the years, before turning to contemporary debates about the validity and scope of free speech.