Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Dr. Kevin Moore
Second Advisor
Dr. Marcia McKelligan
Third Advisor
Dr. Michael Seaman
Abstract
Freedom of expression has always been weighed against other values. Like all freedoms, it brings with it a degree of risk that it will be misused to do ill. In the work ahead, I hope to offer a reminder of the value of free expression and a warning against the folly of over-restricting it. Those in favor of censoring and regulating expression too often feign to act as protectors of the much desired public or community safety. What censorship really produces, however, is at best a mere illusion of safety. Only an environment in which all ideas, no matter how unpleasant, can be debated, challenged, and questioned is one in which human liberty is respected and social problems can be diagnosed and addressed before they fester into action.
Recommended Citation
Štular, Nina Katarina, "A Dangerous Pursuit of Safety: The Value of Freedom of Expression and the Folly of Trading It Away" (2022). Honor Scholar Theses. 190, Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/studentresearch/190
