I’ve also started an argument on some other forum, to test some ideas, with regards to the ‘harm principle’ (in law). Most of the laws of free countries do conform to harm principle, even though it is not in constitution and a few laws don’t (usually for quite bad reason and with very ineffective enforcement). But if you try to bring it up you get slippery slope arguments along the lines of “if we start legalizing harmless behaviours we’d have to legalize driving on other side of the road”. Try talking to authoritarians and you can see them argue the slippery slopes the other way.
It must be noted though that there’s much longer way to slip in the direction of disallowing speech, than in the direction of allowing speech.
I’ve heard it argued this way.
I’ve also started an argument on some other forum, to test some ideas, with regards to the ‘harm principle’ (in law). Most of the laws of free countries do conform to harm principle, even though it is not in constitution and a few laws don’t (usually for quite bad reason and with very ineffective enforcement). But if you try to bring it up you get slippery slope arguments along the lines of “if we start legalizing harmless behaviours we’d have to legalize driving on other side of the road”. Try talking to authoritarians and you can see them argue the slippery slopes the other way.
It must be noted though that there’s much longer way to slip in the direction of disallowing speech, than in the direction of allowing speech.