This statement has my full support. Apart from the ordinary issues relating to freedom of speech, surely we all have a fair idea by now that laws against "blasphemy", "defamation of religion", and so on, are likely to do more harm than good - if the purpose is social harmony, this is best achieved by policies that encourage people not to take undue offence at disliked speech, and certainly not to respond with violence.
The current push at national level in various countries - as well as at UN level - for blasphemy laws is about the last thing we need.
About Me
- Russell Blackford
- Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).
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