In episode 2 in this series, I discuss the origins and history of the principle of liberty of speech and expression in the common law tradition. There are many whom I call heroes of liberty, who have at different times in history, mounted staunch and fervent defenses of free speech.

Every freedom and right that we take for granted today, was hard earned and fought for, against Kings, against the Church, against the Parliament. And the struggle is still ongoing. We still face a threat to the ability to speak freely in society. It pays to know the history of this struggle and to know the arguments presented by said heroes of the past.

Some of the works in this regard are mentioned here for the listener to read. I am only giving a reading list of the books and documents I have myself read (in some cases, read translations of).

1. Magna Carta Libertatum (1215)

2. Areopagitica, by John Milton (1644)

3. English Bill of Rights (1689)

4. A Letter Concerning Toleration, by John Locke (1689)

5.  United States Bill of Rights (1791)

6. The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine (1792)

7. On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill (1859)

8. All Minus One - An Illustration of On Liberty, by Heterodox Academy https://heterodoxacademy.org/library/all-minus-one/

Happy reading.

Do subscribe and share this podcast.