Censorship, cancel culture, and truth-seeking (with Iona Italia)
Spencer Greenberg speaks with Iona Italia about the critical need for free speech, its narrow exceptions, and the dangers of censorship. They also discuss the importance of opinion diversity for societal progress and the impact of religious ritual.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Free Speech Absolutism and its Narrow Exceptions
Distinguishing Opinion from Calls to Specific Action
Pragmatic and Moral Justifications for Free Speech
The Natural Societal Pressure Towards Censorship
The Importance of Hearing Disagreeable Ideas
Words, Attitudes, and the N-Word Discussion
Harm vs. Offense as Justification for Censorship
The Role of Info Hazards and Controversial Research
Conditions for Truth to Prevail in Society
Critique of Hindu Nationalism and its Appeal
The Role and Impact of Religion in Modern Society
Historical Evolution of Religious Morality
Spirituality, Community, and Secular Alternatives
The Value and Pitfalls of Insurance
9 Key Concepts
Free Speech Absolutism
This position advocates for the free expression of opinion and artistic creation, with very narrow exceptions. These exceptions are typically limited to specific calls to action, such as incitement to violence, fraud, or slander, rather than expressions of belief or critical viewpoints.
Opinion vs. Call to Action
An opinion is an expression of one's belief or viewpoint, whereas a call to action is a direct instruction or suggestion for others to perform a specific act. The distinction is crucial in free speech debates, as calls for specific harm (e.g., firing, blacklisting) are often considered outside the scope of protected opinion.
Moral Entropy (in censorship)
This concept suggests that there is a natural, inherent tendency for power dynamics to push societies towards greater censorship. People in positions of power, or even peer groups, often prefer not to hear uncomfortable or unflattering opinions, leading to a continuous fight required to defend freedom of expression.
Pragmatic Justification for Free Speech
This argument asserts that free expression is beneficial for societal progress and well-being. Historically, societies with greater political liberalism and freedom of expression tend to be more prosperous and flourishing, as the ability to question authority is fundamental to all forms of progress.
Info Hazard
An info hazard refers to specific pieces of true information that, if widely disseminated, could cause harm. Examples include instructions for making dangerous devices or sensitive state secrets. While acknowledging their existence, the general stance is that the need for accurate knowledge usually outweighs the risks of an info hazard for expressions of opinion.
Opinion Diversity
This refers to the value of having a wide range of differing opinions and viewpoints within a society. It is considered essential for stress-testing ideas and policies, providing necessary pushback against prevailing thoughts, and ultimately leading to more robust and accurate societal understanding.
Hindu Nationalism
As described, this is a 'blood and soil' ideology where a citizen's worth, rights, and privileges are determined by unchosen characteristics like religion. It is seen as a fascist ideology that undermines universal human rights by allowing the oppression of minorities by a majority.
Concave Utility Function (money)
This economic principle describes how the psychological value or satisfaction (utility) derived from each additional unit of money decreases as one's total wealth increases. Conversely, the negative impact (disutility) of losing money becomes disproportionately greater as the amount lost increases, making large losses catastrophic.
Hedging against Tail Risk
This strategy involves taking measures, such as purchasing insurance, to mitigate the potential impact of rare but severe negative events. Even if such insurance results in a net financial loss on average, it can increase overall utility by providing peace of mind and protecting against catastrophic outcomes due to the concave utility of money.
9 Questions Answered
Exceptions to free speech are typically limited to specific calls to action, such as incitement to violence, fraud, or slander, rather than expressions of opinion or artistic creation.
Society must continually fight to defend freedom of expression, as the natural pressure from those in power (including peer groups) is always towards censorship of uncomfortable or unflattering opinions.
No, feeling harmed or offended is not considered a sufficient justification for censorship, as it is too weak a definition of harm. While people may feel psychological hurt, this should not grant them a claim to materially harm the speaker or censor their views.
Words primarily reflect attitudes rather than creating them. Focusing on forcing people to use different language to change their opinions is seen as backwards; the goal should be to influence the underlying sentiments.
While there are 'info hazards' (e.g., how to make a nuclear bomb, state secrets, spoilers), the need for accurate knowledge generally supersedes concerns about harmful truths when it comes to expressions of opinion, as knowing the truth is usually better for fixing problems.
For truth to win, society needs free speech as a bedrock, along with a recognition of opinion diversity, a healthy two-party system, and the stress-testing of ideas. Universal human rights are also crucial to prevent democracy from devolving into mob rule.
These ideologies appeal to people's desire to feel part of something larger than themselves, to feel important, meaningful, and heroic, often through a national or group narrative that transcends individual circumstances.
While religion is seen as a 'net bad' due to obstructing truth and being amoral, it provides significant social benefits by fulfilling people's needs for community and support, which secular alternatives often fail to provide adequately.
No, not all insurance is a good idea, as some policies are mispriced or play on fears. However, insurance can be valuable for hedging against catastrophic 'tail risks' due to the concave utility of money, offering peace of mind, and leveraging collective negotiating power for better deals.
15 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Duty to Truth
When something is both true and important, feel a moral imperative to say it, even if it upsets others, because the duty to truth supersedes sparing feelings.
2. Continually Defend Free Expression
Actively fight to defend freedom of expression, as the natural tendency of power is towards greater censorship, which will otherwise erode these freedoms.
3. Apply Free Speech Thought Experiment
When considering restricting speech, imagine if your ideological opponents were in power and applying the same restrictions to your speech to understand the precedent being set.
4. Seek Disagreeable Opinions
Actively listen to and seek out opinions you find harmful or disagreeable, as you can often learn something valuable from them and avoid patronizing censorship.
5. Embrace Opinion Diversity
Recognize and value opinion diversity, including the existence of opposition and pushback against your own ideas, because this stress testing is vital for progress.
6. Discourage Calls for Individual Harm
Establish a strong societal norm against trying to cause harm to specific individuals, such as calling for them to be fired or their books to be pulped, and disapprove of those making such calls.
7. Employer Protocol for Mobs
Universities and employers should implement a mandatory cooling-off period (24-48 hours) before responding to social media mobs and avoid firing or canceling based solely on the number of complaints.
8. Employer Upholds Free Speech
The onus is on employers not to fire people simply based on opinions, especially those voiced on social media, to maintain norms of free expression.
9. Influence Sentiment, Not Words
When addressing offensive language, focus on changing the underlying negative sentiments or feelings that motivate such words, rather than merely policing the words themselves.
10. Reject Offense as Censorship Justification
Do not accept “feeling harmed” as a sufficient justification for censorship, as it is too weak a definition of harm and can be used to justify violence.
11. Prioritize Accurate Knowledge
Always strive for accurate knowledge, as it is easier to fix problems and deal with things effectively when you have a clear understanding of the truth.
12. Careful Communication of Controversial Research
If conducting controversial research, take extra care in how you present findings and provide proper education to ensure people understand them correctly and mitigate misuse.
13. Desire Better Political Opposition
Instead of hoping political opponents fail, desire for them to be better and provide a healthy outlet for diverse thinking, which leads to a more robust societal discourse.
14. Embrace Painful Truths for Growth
Strive to know what is true, even when the truth is personally deeply painful, as this pursuit of knowledge is almost always worth it for personal understanding and growth.
15. Find Secular Community Alternatives
Actively seek out and engage with secular alternatives for community and social needs, such as hobbies like dancing, Star Trek, or chess, to fill gaps often provided by religious institutions.
5 Key Quotes
I am a freedom of expression absolutist.
Iona Italia
I think you should be allowed to call for people to be fired. The onus is on the employer not to fire people on the basis simply of opinions, especially opinions voiced on social media.
Iona Italia
I personally want to hear it. And I don't want someone else to decide on my behalf, well, I've pre-listened to this and you can't hear this because I've decided this would be harmful to you. I find that extremely patronizing.
Iona Italia
I'm even skeptical as to whether they actually feel harmed, to be honest. I think that may be a politically expedient sort of manufactured tool, that claim. But I certainly think they're feeling harmed is definitely not a justification for censorship.
Iona Italia
I think that one of the problems is that religion is much more often a hindrance to morality than a help to it.
Iona Italia