Just had coffee with a friend who defended a speaker ban at her school, saying it prevented harm.
She argued some ideas are too dangerous for a campus, but I said that's exactly when free speech matters most. Where do you draw the line between safety and open debate?
Wait, she actually said some ideas are too dangerous for a campus? That's the whole point of a university. If you can't debate hard ideas there, where can you? Calling something "harmful" is just an excuse to shut down stuff you don't like. This path leads to banning any opinion that makes people uncomfortable.
Honestly, you're probably right about that. I've tried explaining things this way before and just ended up confusing myself more than anyone else. Tbh my teaching method is basically just hoping someone figures it out by accident.