Speech comes from thought. Do we say out loud all the things we think? No!*
We censor ourselves all the time. Some of that is social learning from a very young age about when it’s acceptable to speak and what are acceptable things to say. Self censorship can also be more conscious and voluntary a…
Speech comes from thought. Do we say out loud all the things we think? No!*
We censor ourselves all the time. Some of that is social learning from a very young age about when it’s acceptable to speak and what are acceptable things to say. Self censorship can also be more conscious and voluntary as we learn how to use speech better. We also censor our speech through fear of negative consequences that can vary from embarrassment, to social exclusion, to banning from Substack blogs, and even to imprisonment or worse. Varying degrees of force can be used to inhibit speech from mild disapproval all the way up to the use of lethal force to silence people.
Speech is a communication tool and as with any tool it can be used for many purposes. It can pass on useful information or it can deceive the listener. It can help others or harm them depending on the intent of the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. Just as speech itself can be used for good or bad purposes (like oppression or inciting violence), censorship is a tool that can have positive or negative outcomes. The censorship rules used in Uncharted Territories are what makes it such an effective space to express and debate ideas.
* I have a friend who tends to say pretty much everything that he thinks. Needless to say, it gets him in a lot of trouble! Sooo many good stories though….
So what are the first principles of speech?
Speech comes from thought. Do we say out loud all the things we think? No!*
We censor ourselves all the time. Some of that is social learning from a very young age about when it’s acceptable to speak and what are acceptable things to say. Self censorship can also be more conscious and voluntary as we learn how to use speech better. We also censor our speech through fear of negative consequences that can vary from embarrassment, to social exclusion, to banning from Substack blogs, and even to imprisonment or worse. Varying degrees of force can be used to inhibit speech from mild disapproval all the way up to the use of lethal force to silence people.
Speech is a communication tool and as with any tool it can be used for many purposes. It can pass on useful information or it can deceive the listener. It can help others or harm them depending on the intent of the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. Just as speech itself can be used for good or bad purposes (like oppression or inciting violence), censorship is a tool that can have positive or negative outcomes. The censorship rules used in Uncharted Territories are what makes it such an effective space to express and debate ideas.
* I have a friend who tends to say pretty much everything that he thinks. Needless to say, it gets him in a lot of trouble! Sooo many good stories though….