Free speech is in crisis. On the right, authoritarian populists pay lip service to free expression while suppressing views critical of their leaders and policies. On the left, free speech is increasingly excoriated as a weapon through which the powerful harm the weak with words. Meanwhile, in the academy, debate is polarized, with some calling for sweeping prohibitions on offensive language and others (inspired by the American legal tradition) defending near-absolute protections for even the most dangerous speech.

Jeffrey Howard’s new book, Setting Fire to Reason, seeks to lower the temperature and bring some much-needed nuance to these debates. In the book, he sets out a distinctive philosophy of free speech, explaining why it remains one of our most important rights—essential to the development and exercise of our human capacities. Drawing on this new theory, Howard asks when free speech may be limited, what social media platforms owe their users, whether the marketplace of ideas still exists in the digital age, and whether AI should have free speech, too.

Join Professor Howard for a spirited discussion of free speech and its limits in the age of social media and AI. After an opening conversation between Professor Howard and colleagues, we will welcome the audience for their perspective and questions.

Jeffrey Howard is a philosopher at University College London, where he is Professor of Political Philosophy & Public Policy and the founding Director of the Digital Speech Lab. He is Co-Editor of the journal Political Philosophy.

Book your tickets here: https://www.waterstones.com/events/setting-fire-to-reason-the-ethics-of-free-speech-a-public-conversation-with-professor-jeffrey-howard/london-gower-street