←back to thread

707 points patd | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.463s | source
Show context
qubex ◴[] No.23322680[source]
Wasn’t it Voltaire who said “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”?

Nonetheless, this is pretty much par for the course for what the world has come to expect.

Edit: It turns out that though phrase is often attributed to Voltaire, it was actually Evelyn Beatrice Hall, as noted by the poster below, to whom I am grateful for the correction.

replies(3): >>23322724 #>>23322802 #>>23329428 #
1. tootie ◴[] No.23329428[source]
When Voltaire was alive the French government was a monarchy that employed official censors that had the authority to prevent criticism of the church or state from being published by anyone. That kind of censorship is explicitly illegal under the first amendment. There is really no precedent for the mass publication of free-flowing content from anyone in the world prior the 1980s that would be relevant.
replies(1): >>23332211 #
2. buzzkillington ◴[] No.23332211[source]
Censorship by the church is not illegal under the first amendment.