Milton, Mill, and (Maybe) Aristotle on Why Hearing Horrible Speech Makes You a Better Person

How do you sell the idea of free speech to people who worry that words hurt? In the last few years, there have been increasing demands, most prominently on college campuses, to shut down hateful speech. A defense of free speech needs to explain why we should let people say vile things that no one should ever say to anyone. The familiar arguments for free speech aren’t responsive to these concerns. Consider a few pronouncements by the Supreme Court. The judges sometimes focus on good consequences: “It is the purpose of the First Amendment to preserve an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will ultimately prevail.” “The right of citizens to inquire, to hear, to speak, and to use information to reach consensus is a precondition to enlightened self-government and a necessary means to protect it.” Sometimes they just invoke rights: “The right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of the broader concept of ‘individual freedom of…