When the founders of the United States designed their grand experiment in republican democracy, the principle they installed to preserve the longevity of their new government was free speech. For more than two centuries, the principle of free speech has been the foundation for the growth and the prosperity of the longest continuous democracy in history. Unfortunately, one of the unintended consequences of the emergence of digital technologies has been the creation of new tools that are being used to fracture our society into disparate tribes and provide the wherewithal for some tribes to censor the speech of less favored tribes. This tribalism may reflect the greatest threat to the preservation of the democracy.
Free Speech and the Genius of the People
Free Speech and the Genius of the People
Free Speech and the Genius of the People
When the founders of the United States designed their grand experiment in republican democracy, the principle they installed to preserve the longevity of their new government was free speech. For more than two centuries, the principle of free speech has been the foundation for the growth and the prosperity of the longest continuous democracy in history. Unfortunately, one of the unintended consequences of the emergence of digital technologies has been the creation of new tools that are being used to fracture our society into disparate tribes and provide the wherewithal for some tribes to censor the speech of less favored tribes. This tribalism may reflect the greatest threat to the preservation of the democracy.