Over the weekend, The Hill published a new column by Elan Journo, in which he discusses on how UCLA encourages students to be “contemptuous of intellectual freedom.”
In this video update, Steve Simpson explains what to expect from the two upcoming freedom of speech events at UPenn and UCLA on January 24 and February 1 respectively.
Freedom of speech is a bedrock principle throughout the Western world, but increasingly it is being challenged — on college campuses, among intellectuals and in politics — in the name of preventing “hate” speech or offensive speech or protecting allegedly “marginalized” groups.
On January 7, the second anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack, The Hill published a new column by Steve Simpson, in which he reflects on “the often precarious state of free speech in the world today” and urges us “to consider what the future holds for free speech here in America.” Particularly, Simpson comments on the danger of so-called hate speech laws.
In the two years since Islamic terrorists murdered five cartoonists and seven others associated with the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the Ayn Rand Institute has vocally and consistently upheld freedom of speech against its attackers. In public lectures, interviews, blog posts and a recent book — plus upcoming events on the same theme — the Institute has challenged individuals around the world to join in defending the right to free speech.
Voices for Reason is a blog that covers a wide range of topics, including philosophy and its application to current events, programs of the Ayn Rand Institute and the ideas of Objectivism. Looking back on the year, here are 2016’s most-read blog posts (along with edited versions of the introductions that accompanied them at time of publication).
Steve Simpson, ARI's director of Legal Studies, took to Facebook Live in response to criticism of his recent op-ed on The Hill, "Free Speech Is a Right, Not a Political Weapon."
Today The Hill published a new column by ARI’s Steve Simpson, in which he argues that while President-Elect Donald Trump’s hostility toward freedom of speech is worrisome, he’s also by far not alone in this regard. “[I]s Trump’s urge to censor this form of speech really different from Hillary Clinton’s desire to ban the political speech at issue in Citizens United?”
In recent years, Yaron Brook, ARI chairman executive, has been invited to give talks at Exeter University in the UK. In 2014, Brook gave his first Exeter talk on the morality of capitalism. The talk, which was organized with the help of a former ARI intern, was delivered to a lecture room filled to capacity. In 2015, Brook came back to talk about the inequality debate. Again, it was a packed room with more than 150 students attending live, and with over 30,000 views it is one of the most watched videos with Brook.
What is the significance of Donald Trump’s election win? “Can You Love God and Ayn Rand?” What's Behind the Bullying of Vaccine-maker Pfizer? And what does society look like without a wall separating religion and state?
