Description: Heresy Press's first non-fiction offering addresses free speech and creative freedom--central to the Press's mission--through a systematic debunking of the most common pro-censorship arguments. Co-authored by Greg Lukianoff and Nadine Strossen, The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech--And Why They Fail constitutes a bulwark against the persistent censorial efforts from both the political left and right. At a time when conformist pressures threaten viewpoint diversity, and when political attacks on free expression are mounting, this book is a valuable resource for all who seek to understand and defend the right that is central to both individual liberty and our democratic self-government.
This concise volume is organized around 10 claims that proponents of speech restrictions regularly assert, such as: "words are violence," "free speech is right-wing," and "hate speech isn't free speech." In lively, clear, and persuasive prose, the authors examine the flaws in these pro-censorship assertions. The book also includes an insightful introduction by Jacob Mchangama, shedding additional light on the topic from historical and international perspectives.Review Quotes: "Anyone who is opposed to shutting people up by force is bound to be faced with arguments that suppressing speech isn't so bad after all. But these arguments were considered and rejected decades ago, and The War On Words is a perfect handy guide on how to answer them, by a hero and heroine of free expression."
-- Steven Pinker, author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . .
-- Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation "Freedom of speech is sorely in need of special protection these days, and this book guides any reader to support it in clear, forthright, and powerful fashion."
-- Floyd Abrams, author of The Soul of the First Amendment