Free Speech and the Social Technologies of Democracy, Scientific Inquiry and the Free Market

Abstract

This essay points out the historical importance of freedom of speech inthe rise and fall of nations. My major point is that over the past twocenturies, nations have flourished or failed to flourish to the degreethat they have adopted the social practices of scientific inquiry,democracy, and the free market, each of which requires freedom ofspeech. Those societies that did not embrace the freedom of speechnecessary for the operation of the three practices were handicapped incompetition with societies that did. In sum, the amount of free speechin any society has been central to the ability of that society to avoiddisaster and to flourish.