TextBook- Lewis Vaughn, Doing Ethics (6th ed. Norton, 2022)
Write 6-7 sentences for each
Moral Issues Involving Liberty, Justice, and Society: The Ethics of Free Speech on Campus
Please read Chapter 16 on “Free Speech on Campus” in the the textbook and the supplemental readings (see Syllabus). Also read the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, especially those provisions regarding freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and respond to the following:
Some colleges and universities have enacted “speech codes” and other policies that prohibit, penalize, discourage, or attempt to silence certain kinds of speech on campus, whether by students or by outside speakers invited to speak on campus by various student groups. This kind of speech is often labeled pejoratively as “hate speech” and usually involves issues such as abortion, homosexuality and same-sex marriage, transgender issues, and racial issues, among others. Sometimes such “hate speech” involves nothing more than disagreement with the prevailing beliefs and positions of campus administrators, faculty, and other students.
1. What is your position on free speech on campus? Should there be restrictions and restraints on speech? If so, what kind of restrictions? Or should vigorous free speech be allowed and encouraged? What if some people are offended by certain speech? Should their feelings prevail over others’ rights to express their opinions?
2. Some students’ religious and moral convictions may conflict with the prevailing attitudes and beliefs among a majority on a campus, and thus, the expression of those convictions may be labeled “hate speech” by others. Should the expression of religious/moral convictions be protected absolutely? Or should thereby some limits on the freedom to express one’s religious beliefs? If there should be limits, what sort of limits?
Please provide your arguments in support of your positions.