What It’s Like to be a Free Speech Warrior (Daily Moral Libertarian)

TaraElla
TaraElla
Sep 4, 2018 · 5 min read

The Moral Libertarian Ideal: Equal Moral Agency for Every Individual.

Today, I am going to respond to a recent video by Lindsay Shepherd, titled ‘What It’s Like to be a Free Speech Warrior’. Viewers of this show would know that I am big on free speech. The Moral Libertarian Ideal is that there should be Equal Moral Agency for every individual. Every individual should be able to live out their sincerely held moral views, on an equal basis with every other individual. Part of living out one’s moral conviction is of course the ability to promote your beliefs in the free market of ideas, and everyone needs to be able to participate in a fair and square way. Therefore, free speech is essential for any moral libertarian.

But ultimately, free speech is what allows individuals to promote their ideas, it allows the free market of ideas to function without bias. As for the content of the ideas, of course they won’t be about free speech most of the time. If free speech is only going to be used to promote free speech, it sort of defeats the purpose of free speech itself, right? Now, in her video, Lindsay Shepherd discussed how people expect that, as a free speech advocate, everything she says should be free speech, or otherwise she’s a hypocrite. But that’s stupid, because free speech is a tool, and anyone should also be able to use that tool to deliver some other content.

Pro-liberty Doesn’t Mean Libertine. Quite the Opposite.

Free speech is ultimately a tool for sharing ideas. In Shepherd’s case, she wanted to discuss the problems associated with internet pornography. She also gave a critique of the sexualised content we often see in billboard advertisements. Now, that’s not exactly libertine. Some people out there seem to think that people who are pro-liberty should be libertine, that is, support an anything goes culture. But that’s actually not logical. If people are to have liberty, they should have liberty to do whatever they like, including the promotion of moral positions that are not libertine. In fact, as a moral libertarian, I expect individuals to use their liberty to advance positions that come from their own moral consciences, and such positions would not be libertine a lot of the time. For me, liberty is sacred because it allows morality to flourish. And in a society where morality flourishes, people would generally be much less libertine than they are right now. Of course, as moral libertarianism is about the equality of moral agency, nobody would be able to force their beliefs down others’ throats. Instead, we will have a culture of self-governance, where every individual will strive to live the best according to their own moral conscience. This is so not libertine.

I actually agree with Shepherd here about the need to clean up our culture, so to say. There were definitely quite a few bad things about the 1950s, but I believe the much cleaner culture back then is something we should aspire to return to. Of course, that’s just me, and that’s just what I am throwing into the free market of ideas. Now, you are welcome to differ if you believe in an anything goes culture, but I am confident that my vision will win the debate fair and square in due course. May the best ideas win, as usual.

The Free Market of Ideas is a Process to Improve Morality.

Of course, our individual moral consciences will inevitably differ at some point or other. This is because, as human beings, none of us are going to be always right. That’s why each person should have an equal right to live and promote their morality. This is the only objective way to ensure that the wrong won’t trample on the right. Obviously, to achieve that would require a cultural change, that will cut through both the left and the right. As I often like to point out, it is difficult and socially risky for someone on the left to be pro-life, or for someone on the right to be pro-LGBT, even if that is where their moral conscience is. And these are only two examples. It shows that we still have a long way to go to have a truly free market of ideas, where individuals can live and promote their moral consciences without external pressure.

This goes back to Shepherd’s point about the Intellectual Dark Web showing signs of plateauing. I personally identify with the IDW, and the way it is going is sort of disappointing, to be honest. The IDW seems to have become less about the vigorous discussion of ideas, and more about a tribe who identifies with certain positions, for example skepticism of feminism and its views on gender, skepticism about the left’s social justice theories, and so on. And there’s nothing wrong with these positions. It’s just that, if the IDW is to live up to the Intellectual part of its name, it should be a vigorous free market of ideas where everything is discussed. And even if somebody from the left, or somebody who is a fourth wave feminist, wants to join the discussion, we should welcome them with open arms, as long as they accept that vigorous debate and disagreement will be part of the process. Of course, the same deal would be extended to the right. The IDW should provide a space for the free market of ideas to flourish. It should shine as an example for other circles in society to follow.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back with more moral libertarian commentary tomorrow. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it.


Originally published at taraellastylia.blogspot.com on September 4, 2018.

TaraElla is a singer-songwriter, independent journalist and author, who is passionate about free speech, liberty and equality. She is the author of the Moral Libertarian Horizon books, which focus on developing a moral case for freedom-based politics in the 21st century.

TaraElla Report: Classical Liberalism and Moral Libertarianism

The modern West was founded on classical liberalism. While we should respect other cultures, here in the West we should be unapologetic in standing for our classical liberal values. We make a case for why these values are still best for the West.

TaraElla

Written by

TaraElla

TaraElla is a singer-songwriter and author, passionate about free speech, liberty and equality. https://www.taraella.com

TaraElla Report: Classical Liberalism and Moral Libertarianism

The modern West was founded on classical liberalism. While we should respect other cultures, here in the West we should be unapologetic in standing for our classical liberal values. We make a case for why these values are still best for the West.

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