Freedom of Speech and Children
I don’t plan to go into over much depth regarding the point Letters from a Tory made regarding libertarian philosophy in this post. Not least because the Nameless Libertarian has already done so. So too has DK.
The core issue being raised is; in a libertarian society, is state intervention the right thing when it comes to groups indoctrinating children? Both DK and the Nameless one say “no”. So do I. LFAT makes what I believe to be a fundamental flaw in assuming that because children are not mature, they need some sort of protection form “indoctrination”. Yet as children, we have all been subjected to our parents’ world-view and had that challenged as we grew older and met others who present a different one. Still, in the discussion over at the Appalling Strangeness, LFAT reiterates that thought:
That said, I really don’t think education is enough. You can’t discuss rational thinking, political ideology or racial prejudice with a 6-year-old…
I replied there, but I’ll expand here. I was about six years old, possibly a little younger or a little older, it’s difficult to tell, it was so long ago – but it was in the early sixties, when my father impressed upon me the importance of freedom of speech. He explained it in simple terms, using the war that had been over for barely twenty years and during which he grew up as an example. It was important, he explained, that extreme groups such as the Nazis and the communists are allowed their say, that their ideology is in the open, because people can see it for what it is and counter it. Ban it, prevent them from speaking, and it becomes furtive, mysterious and appealing. As a six year old, I understood the reasoning perfectly. So perfectly, that it underpins my absolute defence of free speech to this day, some forty odd years later.
Children, let us not forget, are not made of bone china and they are not stupid. They have a massive capacity for learning, and rational thinking is not beyond their grasp. They are not, in this instance, “vulnerable” and do not need protection by the state. Give them the information, teach them how to analyse it and let them grow up forming their own opinions.
Therefore, no, the state should play no part in protecting them from ideas and indoctrination that the state deems unacceptable. Ever.
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