How 17th-century Britain’s ‘cancel culture’ can help us understand the importance of free speech
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How 17th century’s Britain’s ‘cancel culture’ can help us understand the importance of free speech
Dan Taylor, The Open University and Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London
Free speech is the right to express one’s opinions without censorship or restraint. It is a cornerstone of modern liberal democracies. Nowadays, it is considered a basic right in the UN’s 1948 Declaration of Human Rights and it is is enshrined in British law.
Yet, free speech is neither historically well established nor widespread.
In many parts of the world, authoritarian governments have prevented citizens’ rights to free speech through censorship, mass detentions, surveillance and harassment. At the same time, within liberal democracies there has been growing concern about the overreach of cancelling or no-platforming those with controversial views.
Arguments against free speech have been made for centuries. In 17th century England, saying or writing something blasphemous would have got your tongue...
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