Stephen Metcalf and Barry Lam on Hate Speech

Hi-Phi Nation Plus

Co-host of Slate Culture Gabfest and Slate's critic-at-large Stephen Metcalf sits down with Hi-Phi Nation host and producer Barry Lam to talk about the story and philosophical issues from "No Offense", episode 3 of Season 3 of Hi-Phi Nation on the moral foundations of free speech protections in the U.S. and Australia. Stephen defends the Australian position but notices that central features of the story about Sonny in the main episode seems to tell against the idea that it is the morally better society. Barry and Stephen discuss why America seems to privilege "negative liberty", with Barry taking the optimistic position that Americans think humans will flourish if the government just gets out of the way, and Stephen takes the pessimistic position that it is because Americans are too suspicious of each other to give each other power to character positive liberty. The two then talk about free speech on campus.