Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought, Expanded Edition

A liberal society stands on the proposition that we should all take seriously the idea that we might be wrong. This means we must place no one, including ourselves, beyond the reach of criticism; it means that we must allow people to err, even where the error offends and upsets, as it often will.” So writes Jonathan Rauch in Kindly Inquisitors, which has challenged readers for more than twenty years with its bracing and provocative exploration of the issues surrounding attempts to limit free speech. In it, Rauch makes a persuasive argument for the value of liberal science” and the idea that conflicting views produce knowledge within society.In this expanded edition of Kindly Inquisitors, a new foreword by George F. Will strikingly shows the book’s continued relevance, while a substantial new afterword by Rauch elaborates upon his original argument and brings it fully up to date. Two decades after the book’s initial publication, while some progress has been made, the regulation of hate speech has grown domesticallyespecially in American universitiesand has spread even more internationally, where there is no First Amendment to serve as a meaningful check. But the answer to bias and prejudice, Rauch argues, is pluralismnot purism. Rather than attempting to legislate bias and prejudice out of existence or to drive them underground, we must pit them against one another to foster a more vigorous and fruitful discussion. It is this process that has been responsible for the growing acceptance of the moral acceptability of homosexuality over the last twenty years. And it is this process, Rauch argues, that will enable us as a society to replace hate with knowledge, both ethical and empirical.It is a melancholy fact that this elegant book, which is slender and sharp as a stiletto, is needed, now even more than two decades ago. Armed with it, readers can slice through the pernicious ideas that are producing the still-thickening thicket of rules, codes, and regulations restricting freedom of thought and expression.”George F. Will, from the foreword
Since its publication in 1993, Kindly Inquisitors has challenged readers with its bracing and provocative exploration of the issues surrounding attempts to limit free speech. Jonathan Rauch makes a persuasive argument for the value of what he sees as a pillar of liberal society: “liberal science,” the system for producing knowledge within such a society, a system based on choosing between conflicting views. Moving beyond a defense of the First Amendment, Rauch defends the morality, as well as the very real benefits, of an intellectual regime that relies on unfettered and often hurtful criticism to make progress. This Expanded Edition includes a Foreword by George F. Will emphasizing the book’s continuing relevance and a substantial Afterword by Rauch which updates and elaborates upon his original arguments. Two decades on, Rauch notes that, while some progress has been made, the regulation of speech deemed hateful or assaultive or harassing has spread internationally—where there is no First Amendment to act as a buffer—and has dug in domestically, especially in American universities. But the answer to bias and prejudice, he argues, is pluralism, not purism. The answer is not to try to legislate bias and prejudice out of existence or to drive them underground, but to pit biases and prejudices against each other and make them fight in the open. It was this process, playing out over the last twenty years, that has been responsible for the acceptance of the morality of homosexuality. And it is this process, liberal science, which will enable us as a society to replace hate with knowledge, both ethical and empirical. With strong backing from the Cato Institute, this new edition will bring renewed attention to a classic defense of free thought and free expression.