Description:
"This very important book will be mandatory reading for legal scholars interested in duress, for philosophers and others concerned with lying, and for legal, philosophical, and political theorists who examine questions of freedom of speech. Shiffrin's arguments for the individual and community importance of sincerity are novel and effective. Her analysis of lying, her philosophical approach to questions of duress, and her connections between a theory of freedom of speech and the idea of freedom of thought all go beyond the existing literature. This is an impressive work."--Frederick Schauer, University of Virginia
"This book makes a compelling case for the importance of both veracity and freedom of speech for moral agency and progress. Full of insight and with a distinctive moral tone, this is a very significant contribution from one of the field's most distinguished and original participants."--Liam Murphy, New York University
Review Quotes: "In her provocative, densely argued and important new book, philosopher Seana Valentine Shiffrin argues that Kant has been misinterpreted. . . . Shiffrin's concern in the punningly titled Speech Matters is to show how telling the truth is fundamental to maintaining the cherished goal of freedom of speech."---Andrew Hadfield, Times Higher Education