Latest news with #OnLiberty
Evening Standard
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Evening Standard
There was more freedom of speech 2,500 years ago than in Britain today
It's hard to think of anyone who put the case for free speech better than John Stuart Mill in his work, On Liberty (1859): 'If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind…. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.' In other words, Mill makes the case especially for the protection of opinions that may be wrong, and at odds with the opinion of the majority.
Irish Examiner
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Elaine Loughlin: Trump's ICE attacks on free speech do not stop at US borders
Humiliation is just another minor consequence of Donald Trump's latest chilling move against freedom of speech, which threatens the entire bedrock on which the US was founded. This week I toyed with taking a look back at some of the best years of my life. Thankfully, the demise of Bebo meant I couldn't find a way to log in to see what ultimately would have been an embarrassing stream of blurry pictures, apparently funny comments, and hot takes on the world that would have left me cringing for days. Thoughts are no longer private The years that straddle adolescence and adulthood is a time in which most people are navigating the world, making mistakes, and forming their own opinions, many of which will change as lived experience alters what can be idealistic and naive interpretations. The current generation of third-level students, who have no recollection of Bebo, are now finding that what could have been a fleeting opinion or throwaway remark may have a lasting impact. Under new rules, all applicants for F, M, and J visas to the US will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public'. Running contrary to everything from John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty' through to the US constitution itself, Donald Trump, 'is denying the space and freedom to allow truth prevail'. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP Irish students looking to spend a summer in America on a J1 visa will be required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on their application form. Applicants must certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas. 'A US visa is a privilege, not a right,' a statement issued by the US embassy read. Threat to first amendment of the US constitution The latest announcement is just part of an ongoing intrusive policy which aims to engender fear, curtail opposing opinion, and ultimately threaten the much-valued first amendment of the US constitution. 'We are watching a major incursion on freedom of expression unthinkable in a Western democracy,' was how Labour leader Ivana Bacik described the changes announced to the student visa system by the US administration this week. Holding up a comical printout of an online meme in the Dáil chamber, Bacik detailed how US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, had detained a young Norwegian tourist at Newark Airport for five hours before he was ultimately sent back to Oslo. Why? He had on his phone the same meme depicting vice president JD Vance as a baby. While Bacik described the incident as 'extraordinary', such examples are becoming more frequent under the Trump administration, which seems hellbent on stifling alternative opinion. John Stuart Mill explained free speech Freedom of expression, especially in the academic sphere, is crucial if we as a species are to evolve and advance. In his 1859 essay, On Liberty, British philosopher John Stuart Mill put forward a comprehensive three-pronged argument as to why opinions, regardless of how incorrect or misaligned they are, should never be silenced. 'In any argument there are only three possibilities. You are either wholly wrong, partially wrong, or wholly correct — and in each case free speech is critical to improving or protecting those positions,' he wrote. 'Only through diversity of opinion is there, in the existing state of human intellect, a chance of fair play to all sides of the truth.' ICE arrests Trump, through a series of measures is denying the space and freedom to allow truth prevail. This began in March when ICE agents began arresting student protestors who had expressed pro-Palestinian views. In one of their many notorious actions, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, for three months. Picture: Ted Shaffrey/AP This included the high-profile case of Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University who was returning home from dinner with his eight-month-pregnant wife when he was taken by four ICE agents and forced into an unmarked car. Although Khalil, a lawful permanent resident who was born in Syria, was released after three months in custody on June 20, the administration has indicated that it will appeal this and has cited a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 in its effort to deport Khalil. The clause allows the secretary of state to remove individuals from the country if they have reason to believe the person's actions or presence undermines foreign policy interests. Since Khalil's arrest, hundreds more students have been detained over their pro-Palestinian campus activism, with often vague allegations tabled against them. In late April, plans to further expand the reasons under which international students can be stripped of their legal status in the US were unveiled. Since then, there have been pauses on visa interviews and a move to 'aggressively' revoke visas for hundreds of thousands of Chinese students. More than 60 third-level institutions, most notably Harvard University, have been threatened with billions of dollars in financial penalties. In refusing to bow to Trump's pressure, Harvard is battling moves to freeze research grants and suspend foreign students from enrolling in the Ivy League college. Under such constraints, a brain drain has begun, with many lecturers and researchers looking to Europe and further abroad for refuge. Beyond academia, the administration has banned news outlets from covering White House events and sought sanctions against attorneys and law firms who do not represent Trump's view of the world. The land of the free and the home of the brave is becoming a place where those brave enough to speak out are suppressed and punished.
IOL News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The PhD Crisis: Are universities sacrificing quality for quantity in education?
About 1 500 graduating students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's spring graduation. The writer says today we mass-produce doctoral graduates like factory widgets, sacrificing quality at the altar of quantity. Image: File/Supplied I WOULD like to address an aspect which has been bothering me for quite some time now. I hope that it will be read critically without necessarily creating any unnecessary consternation. If it does, I would let John Stuart Mill, in his book On Liberty defend me when he posits that: 'The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generations; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.' There was a time when the words 'Doctor of Philosophy' carried weight — a sacred trust between society and its thinkers. Today, I watch with growing dismay as we mass-produce doctoral graduates like factory widgets, sacrificing quality at the altar of quantity. The brain, as Carl Sagan reminded us, 'is like a muscle. When it is in use, we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.' Yet, where is this joy in our current academic landscape? Mediocrity has become our unwritten curriculum. It manifests in doctoral theses that contribute nothing but recycled platitudes, in supervisors who prioritise speedy completions over substantive work, and in universities that measure success by graduation statistics rather than intellectual impact. I recall one particularly egregious example: A doctoral candidate whose entire thesis concluded that 'corruption will never end'. This wasn't scholarship — it was intellectual surrender dressed in academic regalia. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Alfred North Whitehead saw this coming nearly a century ago when he warned: 'The race which does not value trained intelligence is doomed. Not all your heroism, not all your social charm, not all your wit, not all your victories on land or at sea, can move back the finger of fate.' His words haunt me as I review dissertation after dissertation that fail to meet even basic standards of original thought. The problem runs deeper than individual failings. We've created a system that actively discourages excellence. Consider these disturbing trends: The Funding Paradox: Universities receive more funding for higher graduation numbers, creating perverse incentives to push students through regardless of quality. I've witnessed committees approve subpar work because 'the department needs the numbers'. Universities receive more funding for higher graduation numbers, creating perverse incentives to push students through regardless of quality. I've witnessed committees approve subpar work because 'the department needs the numbers'. The Death of Mentorship: Where once professors guided protégés through years of intellectual development, today's advisors often view students as administrative burdens. The art of nurturing thinkers has been replaced by the mechanics of processing candidates. Where once professors guided protégés through years of intellectual development, today's advisors often view students as administrative burdens. The art of nurturing thinkers has been replaced by the mechanics of processing candidates. We're increasingly governed by those who 'discount principle in favour of expediency, subordinate ideas to utility, and equivocate while critical issues swarm about them.' This managerial class has turned our universities into degree mills. The Rise of the Administrative Mind: The great social critic Neil Postman saw this coming when he argued that television had transformed education into 'edutainment'. His warning applies equally to our current digital age: 'Our bewilderment has resulted from our notion that salvation depends on information. The remedy may be a return to the process of rational thought.' Similarly, Nicholas Carr's research in *The Shallows* demonstrates how 'the internet is literally rewiring our brains and inducing only superficial understanding'. Is it any wonder our doctoral candidates struggle with deep, sustained thought when their entire education has conditioned them for distraction? All is not lost. We can reclaim academia's soul by: Reinstating Rigour: As E Grady Bogue insisted, we must restore 'the hallmarks of quality' — participation, expectation, risk, dissent, ambiguity, optimism and compassion. These cannot be measured by metrics, but they define true scholarship. As E Grady Bogue insisted, we must restore 'the hallmarks of quality' — participation, expectation, risk, dissent, ambiguity, optimism and compassion. These cannot be measured by metrics, but they define true scholarship. Valuing Time: John Henry Newman understood that true education requires immersion: 'The general principles of any study you may learn by books at home; but the detail, the colour, the tone, the air, the life which makes it live in us, you must catch all these from those in whom it lives already.' We must give students time to breathe, to think, to fail, and to grow. John Henry Newman understood that true education requires immersion: 'The general principles of any study you may learn by books at home; but the detail, the colour, the tone, the air, the life which makes it live in us, you must catch all these from those in whom it lives already.' We must give students time to breathe, to think, to fail, and to grow. Honouring Purpose: John Gardner's words remain essential: 'People would rather work hard for something they believe in than enjoy a pampered idleness… We want meaning in our lives.' Our doctoral programmes must be about more than degrees — they must be about the pursuit of truth. To my colleagues: We became academics because we believed in the life of the mind. Let us have the courage to demand more from our students, from our institutions, and most importantly, from ourselves. The administrative machinery will always push for more graduates, faster completions, and easier standards. We must be the counterweight.
Ottawa Citizen
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Weston: Get the vulgar "F--- Carney" flags off of Parliament Hill, RCMP
Last Friday, I confronted a protester displaying a 'F— Carney' flag directly in front of the Prime Minister's Office, that historic 1880s building serving Liberal and Conservative leaders since 1975. When he refused to remove it, I gave him two minutes before I'd do it myself. Article content Article content An RCMP officer intervened. Despite my outrage at seeing such vulgarity on the grounds of our highest democratic office, the officer explained the flag was 'private property' and he wasn't 'authorized' to remove it. He mentioned protesters had conducted such activities 'for five years.' As a Vancouver visitor, I was appalled. Is this the capital's welcome to tourists? Article content Article content The officer asked me to stand down to avoid an incident before the Prime Minister emerged. Out of respect for the RCMP — descendants of the Northwest Mounted Police, a Canadian institution that brought civility to our untamed frontiers — I complied. The flag stayed. Article content I am a former Conservative MP and my objection transcends partisan politics. I wasn't defending Carney or his party. I was defending the Office of the Prime Minister itself. Article content This protester wouldn't target a 60-year-old Ottawa father named 'Carney' if he weren't Prime Minister. He was degrading our nation's highest office using hallowed public space. This distinction matters for democracy's health. Article content I champion free expression and founded the Canadian Constitution Foundation to defend Charter rights. In 2022, the Foundation successfully defended a homeowner's right to display a 'F— Trudeau' banner on her private property against municipal bylaws. While crass, and in my opinion an ineffective way to conduct political discourse, such expression on private property may be protected. Article content Article content But rights come with responsibilities and limits. The right to profane expression stops at our most symbolic public spaces. The Prime Minister's Office at 80 Wellington St. isn't just any building. It's a National Historic Site and Classified Federal Heritage Building, representing 140 years of Canadian history and governance. Article content Article content The grounds of democratic institutions aren't neutral venues for unrestricted vulgarity. They embody our collective governance. Protecting such displays signals that we don't value the institutions safeguarding our freedoms. This self-loathing invites international disrespect. Article content Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes noted you can't falsely shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre. On Liberty author John Stuart Mill observed freedom ends where it harms others. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl warned: 'Freedom without responsibility is dangerous.'
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: When free speech becomes a weapon
Freedom in general, and freedom of speech in particular, is deeply embedded in American identity. In the age of social media, which enables the mass dissemination of false information, freedom of speech is also being dangerously weaponized by the far right. Article content Article content This freedom took on an almost sacred dimension in the United States with the adoption of the First Amendment in 1791. It reads: 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.' Article content Article content This sentence helped make the young Republic one of the freest countries in the world. Even today, across political lines, it remains a point of national pride for Americans. Article content Article content However, the media landscape has changed profoundly since 1791. Some social media platform owners now exploit freedom of speech for both ideological and financial reasons, claiming to defend it against supposed censorship imposed by progressive forces. Article content In the 19th century, British philosopher John Stuart Mill saw the free marketplace of ideas — in other words, the absence of restrictions on speech — as the very condition for truth in a democracy. In On Liberty, he argued that truth emerges through the clash of opinions, as falsehoods are gradually pushed aside. Article content This vision of free speech eventually became dominant in the United States. The far right seized on it, using the First Amendment to defend some of its most abhorrent ideas in the name of this fundamental right. One of the most well-known examples took place in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago, where the city tried to ban a Nazi march. In 1977, citing the First Amendment, the Illinois Supreme Court — and then the U.S. Supreme Court, by refusing to intervene — ruled in favour of the neo-Nazi group, although the rally ultimately never happened. Article content Article content There is reason to ask whether social media, capable of both protecting and undermining free speech, has changed the equation. In 2012, a massacre took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of Infowars claimed the massacre was staged to justify greater gun control. Article content Sued for defamation by the parents of children killed in the shooting, Jones defended himself by invoking freedom of speech and the First Amendment, wielding them as a shield against any attempt at regulation or sanction — or rather, as a weapon in the service of lies and violence. In 2022, he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages to the Sandy Hook families for defamation. Article content Yet, even after that ruling, he continued to portray himself as a victim of censorship, illustrating the dangers of an absolutist interpretation of free speech. Article content In recent years, freedom of speech and social media have been put to the test by two major crises. The first was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the accompanying flood of disinformation. The second was the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, triggered by false claims that the presidential election had been 'stolen.'
