Enemies of our enemies are not always our friends. Yet why do we often hear people say “The enemy of our enemy is our friend”? This seems to make good sense. In fact, it is a strategy frequently used during wartimes: countries that might not be on friendly terms form alliances to fight against a … Read more
How can we go about applying Richard Posner’s formula to laws regulating protest slogans? American economist Richard Posner’s economic formula on free speech can be highly useful in determining whether laws are good, which, from an economic perspective, means economically efficient. It was inspired by Judge Learned Hand’s simpler formula, which compares the harms of the … Read more
Have you ever heard of compelled speech and laws on pronouns? A couple of days ago, I introduced to my readers this formula by American legal scholar and economist Richard Posner. Economists do not care as much about the nature of rights, including the right to free speech, as about economic efficiency. A good law … Read more
It is racist to say free speech is Eurocentric. In all of my courses that touch on freedom of expression, I have asked my students to discuss this question in my first class: “The President of a Canadian university said freedom of expression is ‘Eurocentric’ and leads to the suppression of minority groups. As such, … Read more
How do I go about teaching hate speech? In all of my courses that touch on freedom of expression, I have asked my students to discuss this question in my first class: “The President of a Canadian university said freedom of expression is ‘Eurocentric’ and leads to the suppression of minority groups. As such, it … Read more