Ziemowit GowinMost people think of the First Amendment as protecting freedom of speech. Tara Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The First Amendment: Essays on the Imperative of Intellectual Freedom, makes a case that the core purpose of the First Amendment is, more broadly, to protect the intellectual freedom of each individual. In a recent interview at The Michael Shermer Show she skillfully addresses many confusions and questions regarding intellectual freedom and free speech.
Smith argues that intellectual freedom is vital to our lives. Referring to Ayn Rand’s important remark that “a free mind and a free market are corollaries,” she points out that we need intellectual freedom for all purposeful actions, including production. Material freedom requires intellectual freedom, and Smith highlights the stark difference between North and South Korea to illustrate this point. One nation violates its citizens’ rights, including their intellectual freedom, with disastrous consequences. The other protects them, however imperfectly, allowing its citizens to thrive and prosper.
Other topics Smith discusses during the interview include expressive or “offensive” speech, the difference between speech and action, incitement to violence, harassment, and the philosophical challenge of deriving an “ought” from an “is.” She also tackles the flawed notion that rights can come into conflict.
Previously Smith was interviewed (alongside Onkar Ghate) on So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, hosted by Nico Perrino. If you are interested in the issues of freedom of speech and other topics from Smith’s The First Amendment, be sure to check out that interview as well.
Itamar Feldman
