Henry Steele Commager Quote

"The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them."

by:	Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) Historian and author
Source:	Freedom and Order, 1966
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Categories:	Freedom, Individual Rights, Liberty, Press, Respect, Speech, Truth
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Freedom of speech is an inalienable right that needs no justification, purpose or way to prevent error. There are better ways of detecting error and discovering truth - experience for one example.  -- Mike, Norwalk      1
Right in there with FDRs camp. If he got any more left, he would fall off the sinking boat.  -- Ron w13, Or      1
Freedom of speech means being able to say something that someone disagrees with. A lot of folk with delicate sense abilities are offended by nearly everything and that's too bad for them. These are usually on college campuses and usually liberal. Muslims are always offended by you having a ham sandwich within 500 feet of them.  -- jim k, austin tx      1
Use to be people came here, to be an American, and not try to over throw it, or change it. But assimilate to Liberty under grace. At one time, we weren't suppose to eat the pig, according to Jewish law. But guess what, Our God of nature took the law, out of the way, and set us Free. That we might partake of the promise, of Liberty and freedom.  -- Ron w13, Or      1
Mike and Ron... are you reading something different there than I am? I don't see any left leaning speech at all. It is simply another explanation why America desperately needs freedom of speech - and our oath to defend to the death the right of anyone to speak it -not being politically correct.  -- Wally, Niceville      1
I'm with Wally on this one. Freedom of speech is not an indulgence but a means to discovering truth.  -- E Archer, NYC      1
Good on Wally.  -- jim k, Austin      1
For the individual seeking beauty, this aesthetic searching individual can clearly in a critique capacity observe the ugliness and destructiveness of the fire arm and the personally owned automobile for they are used in no other capacity. This artistically endowed individual can appreciate the beauty and effectiveness of the spoken word in their transacting and the suitability of publicly controlled travel methodology   -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      1
Additionally, the world community is nothing more than an escaped hoard of violent mentally ill patients that escaped the mental institutions through nothing more than the strategy of violent aggression. Not one conventional individual in the whole contemporary modern populous arrangement could escape legitimate mental institutionalized confinement demonstrating appropriate mental health capabilities.   -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      1
We must strive to change the circumstances through appropriate reestablishment of mental processes examination and analysis, though legitimized behavioral modification information gathering and dissemination. We must find the proper reality formulation.   -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      1

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