Intellectual Freedom and the Culture Wars

Intellectual Freedom and the Culture Wars PDF

Author: Piers Benn

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783030571085

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book offers a sustained and vigorous defence of free expression and objective enquiry situated in the context of the current culture wars. In the spirit of J. S. Mill, Benn investigates objections to the ideal of free expression in relation to harm and offence, reaching broadly liberal conclusions with reference to recent examples of attempts to curb free speech on university campuses. Accepting that some expressions can cause non-physical harms, Benn also considers objections to free speech based on certain understandings of power and privilege. In its exploration and rejection of arguments against the possibility of obtaining objective truth, the book navigates hotly contested fields of contemporary debate, including feminism and identity politics. It challenges the dogma of social constructionism and examines current notions of identity, arguing that a case for fairness can be made without appealing to them. Offering a qualified endorsement of friendship between ideological opponents, Benn highlights common obstacles to civil and rational discussion, concluding with a rational, moral, and broadly spiritual solution to the cultural combat that monopolises present-day society. Piers Benn teaches Ethics at Fordham University, London Centre, and was recently a Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, UK. Previously he held Lectureships in Philosophy at the Universities of St. Andrews and Leeds, and in Medical Ethics & Law at Imperial College London. He is the author of Ethics (2000) and Commitment (2011). He is an occasional commentator in the national media.

Intellectual Freedom and the Culture Wars

Intellectual Freedom and the Culture Wars PDF

Author: Piers Benn

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-10-10

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 3030571076

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book offers a sustained and vigorous defence of free expression and objective enquiry situated in the context of the current culture wars. In the spirit of J. S. Mill, Benn investigates objections to the ideal of free expression in relation to harm and offence, reaching broadly liberal conclusions with reference to recent examples of attempts to curb free speech on university campuses. Accepting that some expressions can cause non-physical harm, Benn also considers objections to free speech based on certain understandings of power and privilege. In its exploration and rejection of arguments against the possibility of obtaining objective truth, the book navigates hotly contested fields of contemporary debate, including feminism and identity politics. It challenges the dogma of social constructionism and examines current notions of identity, arguing that a case for fairness can be made without appealing to them. Offering a qualified endorsement of friendship between ideological opponents, Benn highlights common obstacles to civil and rational discussions, concluding with a rational, moral, and broadly spiritual solution to the cultural combat that monopolises present-day society.

The Cultural Cold War

The Cultural Cold War PDF

Author: Frances Stonor Saunders

Publisher: New Press, The

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 1595589147

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

During the Cold War, freedom of expression was vaunted as liberal democracy’s most cherished possession—but such freedom was put in service of a hidden agenda. In The Cultural Cold War, Frances Stonor Saunders reveals the extraordinary efforts of a secret campaign in which some of the most vocal exponents of intellectual freedom in the West were working for or subsidized by the CIA—whether they knew it or not. Called "the most comprehensive account yet of the [CIA’s] activities between 1947 and 1967" by the New York Times, the book presents shocking evidence of the CIA’s undercover program of cultural interventions in Western Europe and at home, drawing together declassified documents and exclusive interviews to expose the CIA’s astonishing campaign to deploy the likes of Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Lowell, George Orwell, and Jackson Pollock as weapons in the Cold War. Translated into ten languages, this classic work—now with a new preface by the author—is "a real contribution to popular understanding of the postwar period" (The Wall Street Journal), and its story of covert cultural efforts to win hearts and minds continues to be relevant today.

Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas

Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas PDF

Author: Irene Taviss Thomson

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2018-03-22

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 0472900919

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Irene Taviss Thomson gives us a nuanced portrait of American social politics that helps explain both why we are drawn to the idea of a 'culture war' and why that misrepresents what is actually going on." ---Rhys H. Williams, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, Loyola University Chicago "An important work showing---beneath surface conflict---a deep consensus on a number of ideals by social elites." ---John H. Evans, Department of Sociology, University of California, San Diego The idea of a culture war, or wars, has existed in America since the 1960s---an underlying ideological schism in our country that is responsible for the polarizing debates on everything from the separation of church and state, to abortion, to gay marriage, to affirmative action. Irene Taviss Thomson explores this notion by analyzing hundreds of articles addressing hot-button issues over two decades from four magazines: National Review, Time, The New Republic, and The Nation, as well as a wide array of other writings and statements from a substantial number of public intellectuals. What Thomson finds might surprise you: based on her research, there is no single cultural divide or cultural source that can account for the positions that have been adopted. While issues such as religion, homosexuality, sexual conduct, and abortion have figured prominently in public discussion, in fact there is no single thread that unifies responses to each of these cultural dilemmas for any of the writers. Irene Taviss Thomson is Professor Emeritus of Sociology, having taught in the Department of Social Sciences and History at Fairleigh Dickinson University for more than 30 years. Previously, she taught in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University.

Culture Wars

Culture Wars PDF

Author: Fred Whitehead

Publisher: Greenhaven Press, Incorporated

Published: 1994-01-01

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9781565101005

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Presents opposing viewpoints on issues related to cultural diversity, American education, cultural values, and the decay of American culture.

Culture Wars

Culture Wars PDF

Author: James Davison Hunter

Publisher: Avalon Publishing

Published: 1992-10-14

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0786723041

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A riveting account of how Christian fundamentalists, Orthodox Jews, and conservative Catholics have joined forces in a battle against their progressive counterparts for control of American secular culture.

The Free Speech Wars

The Free Speech Wars PDF

Author: Charlotte Lydia Riley

Publisher:

Published: 2021-01-12

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9781526152541

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Assembling a diverse group of commentators, activists and academics, this book answers the following questions: who gets to exercise free speech and who does not? What happens when powerful voices think they have been silenced? Why do some issues become sites of free speech battles and what are the consequences of this? How do the spaces and structures of 'speech' - mass media, the internet, the lecture theatre, the public event, the political rally - shape this debate?Ultimately, the book argues that free speech is invoked by actors right across the political spectrum, but that in reality very few of the debates have a clear or coherent idea of what is meant by the concept of 'free speech'.

America and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe

America and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe PDF

Author: Volker R. Berghahn

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2002-08-18

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 9780691102566

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In 1958 an attempt was made to measure America's cultural impact on Europe, with the aim of determining whether efforts to improve opinions of American culture were succeeding. This work examines the triangular relationship between the producers of ideologies, corporate America and policymakers.

Foundations of Intellectual Freedom

Foundations of Intellectual Freedom PDF

Author: Emily J. M. Knox

Publisher: American Library Association

Published: 2022-10-28

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0838937454

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Enshrined in the mission statement of ALA, intellectual freedom is one of the core values of the information professions. The importance of ensuring information access to all, and the historical, social, and legal foundations of this commitment, are powerfully explored in this essential primer. Designed to function as both an introductory text for LIS students as well as a complementary resource for current professionals, this book provides a cohesive, holistic perspective on intellectual freedom. Extending beyond censorship to encompass such timely and urgent topics as hate speech and social justice, from this book readers will gain an understanding of the historical and legal roots of intellectual freedom, with an in-depth examination of John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” and Article 19 of the U.N Declaration of Human Rights, and its central concepts and principles; the intersection of intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and social justice; professional values, codes of ethics, ALA’s Library Bill of Rights, and Freedom to Read/View Statements; pro- and anti- censorship arguments and their use in impeding and facilitating access to information; book banning and internet filtering; privacy and its relationship to information services; U.S. case law and precedents; the basics of U.S. copyright law, including fair use, and how it differs from international copyright law; and emerging global issues and their impact on future intellectual freedom.

Is There a Culture War?

Is There a Culture War? PDF

Author: James Davison Hunter

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In the wake of a bitter presidential campaign and in the face of numerous divisive policy questions, many Americans wonder if their country has split in two. Is America divided so clearly? Two of America's leading authorities on political culture lead a provocative and thoughtful investigation of this question and its ramifications.