Jan Kjellin reviewed No Platform by Evan Smith
Review of 'No Platform' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I read this book mainly for it's take on the debate on free speech. Not that it really answers any questions - rather it poses them for the reader to reflect upon:
-Do the proponents of absolute free speech really propose absolute free speech, or is it just a counterargument to throw the discussion off balance?
-Can we as a society allow the right of free speech to those who intend to use it to limit that same right?
Of course, Smith also argues that the whole debate on free speech is a smokescreen of sorts. That the issue at hand really is about ideas and expressions of hate (in the form of for example racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny) and that there is a growing vocal opinion against those ideas and expressions. And that the tactic of "no platform" is a concrete example of how to counter this.
An interesting …
I read this book mainly for it's take on the debate on free speech. Not that it really answers any questions - rather it poses them for the reader to reflect upon:
-Do the proponents of absolute free speech really propose absolute free speech, or is it just a counterargument to throw the discussion off balance?
-Can we as a society allow the right of free speech to those who intend to use it to limit that same right?
Of course, Smith also argues that the whole debate on free speech is a smokescreen of sorts. That the issue at hand really is about ideas and expressions of hate (in the form of for example racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny) and that there is a growing vocal opinion against those ideas and expressions. And that the tactic of "no platform" is a concrete example of how to counter this.
An interesting read that might have been rated higher, had I red this from a british perspective instead of a swedish.
(Another review (of sorts) in swedish will be posted on motargument.se shortly.)