Picture 1 of 1

Stock photo

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media - Picture 1 of 1

Free Speech : A History from Socrates to Social Media by Jacob Mchangama (2022, Hardcover)

Banana Books 24 (87)

95.8% positive Feedback

Price:

US $10.49

Approximately£7.82

+ $19.06 postage

Estimated delivery Fri, 1 Aug - Tue, 12 Aug

Returns:

30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

New

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBasic Books

ISBN-101541600495

ISBN-139781541600492

eBay Product ID (ePID)10050100846

Product Key Features

Book TitleFree Speech : a History from Socrates to Social Media

Number of Pages528 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicEurope / Western, General, Censorship, Legal History

Publication Year2022

GenreLaw, Political Science, History

AuthorJacob Mchangama

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.5 in

Item Weight26.9 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2024-393071

Reviews"Freedom of speech has emerged as a major issue of this decade, but most of the discussion consists of outrages over speech or the repression of speech. Missing is the intellectual background: What does free speech really mean? What is its history? How has it played out in world events? Why should we defend it? Jacob Mchangama lays out this context with deep erudition, strong writing, and a light touch."-- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and the author of Enlightenment Now and Rationality, "Jacob Mchangama's panoramic exploration of the history of free speech offers a vivid, highly readable account of how today's most pitched battles over free speech reflect tensions and impulses that are as old as history itself. Mchangama persuasively dismantles the persistent claims, common to every era and technological evolution, that unprecedented new threats warrant expanded constraints on speech. This indispensable book is a must for both defenders of free speech and, even more so, for those entertaining the notion that free speech should or must be traded away in order to advance other public goods."-- Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All (2020), "In Free Speech , Jacob Mchangama offers an ambitious and eloquent defense of one of our most cherished - and contested - ideals. With the rigor of a historian and the urgency of a contemporary observer, Mchangama takes readers on an illuminating journey into the fight for free expression that has shaped civilizations. This book is a stirring call to defend the messy, imperfect freedom that remains our best safeguard against tyranny, and to rise to the challenge of fostering a world where ideas - even offensive ones - can collide and evolve. Whether you leave its pages inspired, challenged, or both, Free Speech is a vital read for anyone invested in the future of democracy."-- Renée DiResta, author of Invisible Rulers, "A lot of people now claim that free speech is a danger to democracy or social inclusion. In this vital book, which is as entertaining as it is erudite, Jacob Mchangama shows why that is dead wrong. Drawing on both historical analysis and normative argument, he makes a compelling case for why anyone who cares about liberty or justice must defend free speech."-- Yascha Mounk, author of The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University

SynopsisA global history of free speech, from the ancient world to today Hailed as the "first freedom," free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat. In Free Speech , Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speech's many defenders--from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Razi, to the anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells and modern-day digital activists--Mchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech, too, is a constant, and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all stripes. Meticulously researched and deeply humane, Free Speech demonstrates how much we have gained from this principle--and how much we stand to lose without it., "The best history of free speech ever written and the best defense of free speech ever made." -- P.J. O'Rourke Hailed as the "first freedom," free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the retreat. In Free Speech , Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal, political, and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speech's many defenders--from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Razi, to the anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells and modern-day digital activists--Mchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech, too, is a constant, and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all stripes. Meticulously researched and deeply humane, Free Speech demonstrates how much we have gained from this principle--and how much we stand to lose without it.

LC Classification NumberJC591.M33 2022