Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377

The video is about Harvey Silverglate, a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, discussing the importance of freedom of speech and his efforts to protect it. Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers and is advocating for reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus. The video also touches on the current era of censorship and intolerance, and Silverglade reflects on his experiences fighting for freedom of speech during the McCarthy era.

This video by Lex Fridman was published on May 16, 2023.
Video length: 01:51:12.

The video is about Harvey Silverglate, a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers and is advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's Administration bureaucracy. The video discusses the importance of freedom of speech and the challenges facing it in today's era of censorship. Silverglade is an absolutist and believes that hate speech is more important than love speech as it helps him identify who he should not turn his back on.

The video also touches on the history of censorship in America and the McCarthy era.

• Harvey Silverglate is a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers with the goal of advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy.
• The Lex Friedman podcast is a platform for free discourse where ideas are not censored but explored and challenged in a thoughtful and pathetic way.
• Silverglade believes that hate speech is as important as love speech.
• Silverglade believes that free speech is essential for the expression of honest views and the exchange of ideas.
• Silverglade believes that censorship of speech eventually leads to censorship of thought.
• Silverglade believes that free speech leads to better decision-making because people put their views on the table in a frank and accurate way.
• Silverglade believes that hate speech can be painful to a large number of people, but living in a free society requires exposure to some discomfort.
• Silverglade believes in free speech absolutism, which means that hate speech should be allowed.

Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377 - YouTube

Introduction

• The video is about Harvey Silverglate, a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers and is advocating for reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus.
• The video touches on the current era of censorship and intolerance and Silverglade reflects on his experiences fighting for freedom of speech during the McCarthy era.

Freedom of Speech

• Silverglade is an absolutist when it comes to freedom of speech.
• He believes that hate speech is more important than love speech because he is more interested in knowing whom he should not turn his back on.
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers with the goal of advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy.

Harvey Silverglade's Background

• Silverglade is a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• He has written several books on the freedom of speech and criminal justice, including "The Shadow University" and "The Betrayal of Liberty".
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers this year with the goal of advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy.

Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377 - YouTube

Controversial Conversations

• The Lex Friedman podcast is a platform for free discourse where ideas are not censored but explored and challenged in a thoughtful and pathetic way.
• The podcast aims to shed light on the dark parts of human history and human nature.
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers with the goal of advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy.

Conclusion

• The video is about Harvey Silverglade, a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• Silverglade is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers with the goal of advocating for free speech and reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy.
• The video touches on the current era of censorship and intolerance and Silverglade reflects on his experiences fighting for freedom of speech during the McCarthy era.

The Importance of Freedom of Speech

• Harvey Silverglate believes that hate speech is as important as love speech.
• He believes that free speech is essential for the expression of honest views and the exchange of ideas.
• Silverglate believes that censorship of speech eventually leads to censorship of thought.
• He believes that free speech leads to better decision-making because people put their views on the table in a frank and accurate way.
• Silverglate believes that hate speech can be painful to a large number of people, but living in a free society requires exposure to some discomfort.

Free Speech Absolutism

• Silverglate believes in free speech absolutism, which means that hate speech should be allowed.
• He believes that living in a free society requires exposure to some discomfort, including emotional pain.
• Silverglate believes that hate speech can empower large groups and eventually lead to physical action and harm to others.
• He believes that we have developed a culture in which it is understood that if you don't like what you hear, you talk back or write something.
• Silverglate believes that insulting others is a form of communication and that it is not acceptable to physically harm others.

The Connection between Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Thought

• Silverglate believes that thoughts start in the brain and come out the mouth.
• He believes that there is a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of thought.
• Silverglate believes that censorship of speech eventually leads to censorship of thought.
• He believes that ultimately, out of speech comes truth that isn't necessarily so.
• Silverglate believes that free speech leads to better decision-making because people put their views on the table in a frank and accurate way.

The Benefits of Free Speech

• Silverglate believes that free speech leads to better decision-making because people put their views on the table in a frank and accurate way.
• He believes that free speech leads to a more robust, diverse, and ultimately successful decision-making process.
• Silverglate believes that free speech leads to the exchange of ideas and the development of new perspectives.
• He believes that free speech leads to the advancement of knowledge and the progress of society.
• Silverglate believes that free speech leads to the protection of individual rights and the prevention of government oppression.

Challenges to Freedom of Speech

• Internet poses a particular challenge to freedom of speech due to the spread of viral speech and the ability to reach a large audience quickly.
• Revolutions in communication modalities, such as newspapers, radio, and television, have also presented challenges to freedom of speech.
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tried to control obscenity but ultimately gave up the attempt.
• The Supreme Court recognizes the importance of free speech and agrees that it protects people when protection is needed.
• Both sides of the political spectrum agree on the primacy of free speech, with the exception of fascists and communists.

Costs of Living in a Free Society

• Living in a free society can be insulting and hurtful at scale, but it is a small price to pay for the benefits.
• Developing a tough hide is necessary to live in a free society, as cyberbullying and attacks on ideas can be harmful.
• There are exceptions to the First Amendment, such as libel, slander, direct threats, and fraud.
• Defamation and direct threats are not lawful and are not protected by free speech.
• Fraud is not free speech and is considered a limit on free expression.

Freedom of Speech Absolutism

• Freedom of speech absolutism should rule on the internet, as nobody's gonna die from it.
• The death threats are not protected by free speech.
• People are going to be insulted, but it is a small price to pay for living in a free society.
• Developing a tough hide is necessary to live in a free society.
• Defamation and direct threats are not lawful and are not protected by free speech.

Limits on Free Speech

• There are limits to free speech, such as libel, slander, direct threats, and fraud.
• Defamation and direct threats are not lawful and are not protected by free speech.
• Fraud is not free speech and is considered a limit on free expression.

Section 1: Specific Categories of Limits

• Legally, it is not allowed to defame a person in the court of public opinion, especially with the aid of anonymity on the internet.
• Rumors can spread at scale, thousands to hundreds of thousands of people can make up things about you.
• You have to defend yourself using more speech.
• Freedom of speech is big and important, but it is not without limits.
• In some societies, saying something can lead to imprisonment or other consequences.

Section 2: Importance of Freedom of Speech on College Campuses

• Freedom of speech is most important on college campuses because that's where young citizens are educated.
• If education is based on a notion that certain points of view are not allowed, it is not a liberal arts college.
• The theory that the author used in "The Shadow University" is that betrayal of liberty on America's campuses is a pessimistic view.
• The book "The Shadow University" was co-authored with Alan Charles, an Emeritus professor of Enlightenment history at the University of Pennsylvania.
• The author taught a course in the mid-1980s at Harvard Law School but did not continue to teach in colleges due to Harvard Law School.

Section 3: College Campuses as Important for Free Speech

• College campuses are one of the most important places for free speech because this is where people get education.
• If certain points of view are not allowed to be expressed because education comes from the clash of ideas, it is not a liberal arts college.
• The college experience is transformative, and if there is censorship on campuses, it is highly destructive of the educational enterprise.
• The scientific method is applied to non-science, history, journalism, and all other aspects of life, including hateful ideas.
• Every point of view is thrown into the marketplace, whether it is science or a non-science, and that includes the kind of ideas and discourse that might actually lead to an increase in hate on campuses.

Section 4: The First Amendment and Limits on Speech

• The First Amendment prohibits speech that is liable to produce imminent imminent violence, such as yelling falsely that there is a fire in a crowded movie theater.
• The exception is yelling fire in a movie theater if there is really a fire.
• There are limits on speech, and it is not without consequences.
• In some societies, saying something can lead to imprisonment or other consequences.
• It is important to understand the limits of freedom of speech and to defend it when necessary.

The Importance of Freedom of Speech

• The First Amendment defines freedom of speech as having very few exceptions.
• Defamation is an exception to freedom of speech, but it is not universally agreed upon.
• Harvey Silverglate, a free speech advocate, believes that defamation is an unfortunate exception.
• Silverglate believes that the best way to defend against defamation is with more speech and authentic communication.
• Silverglate has written a book called "Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee" and is a friend of Matt Hentoff, who also wrote about the importance of free speech.

The Role of Autonomy in Freedom of Speech

• Freedom of speech means that people have autonomy on their choices in order to form a complete mind and complete human being.
• On college campuses, it is believed that getting as many perspectives as possible is the best way to develop the mind.
• Universities have been taken over by administrators who do not subsume academic values and develop speech codes and kangaroo courts to enforce them.
• Silverglate believes that universities should focus on academic values and not on keeping a watertight environment.
• Silverglate is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers to convince the Harvard Corporation to focus on academic values and not on keeping a watertight environment.

The Impact of Defamation on Freedom of Speech

• Defamation is an exception to freedom of speech, but it is not universally agreed upon.
• Silverglate believes that defamation is an unfortunate exception.
• If someone says something about someone that has serious implications in their life, they can be sued.
• Silverglate believes that the best way to defend against defamation is with more speech and authentic communication.
• Silverglate has written a book called "Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee" and is a friend of Matt Hentoff, who also wrote about the importance of free speech.

The Importance of Authentic Communication

• Silverglate believes that authentic communication is the best way to defend against defamation.
• Silverglate has written a book called "Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee" and is a friend of Matt Hentoff, who also wrote about the importance of free speech.
• Silverglate believes that people should be able to entertain all kinds of hateful and threatening ideas without any fear.
• Silverglate believes that universities should focus on academic values and not on keeping a watertight environment.
• Silverglate is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers to convince the Harvard Corporation to focus on academic values and not on keeping a watertight environment.

The Problem of Administrative Bloat in American Education

• Administrative bloat refers to the excessive number of administrators in American education, which is a secondary body but quite influential.
• The cost of maintaining these administrators is enormous, and they are inimical to the teaching enterprise.
• Administrators feel that their job is to control things and make sure there are no problems that might hurt someone's feelings.
• The disciplinary hearings for insulting someone are unnecessary, as black people, women, Jews, and other groups are accustomed to being insulted.
• The role of the University is to protect students, women, African-Americans, and anyone who gets killed from physical assault, but not from insults.

The Importance of Academic Freedom and Free Speech

• Academic freedom and free speech are essential for the mission of the university, which is to prepare students to make them into great human beings and leaders.
• The freedom of the insulter to insult someone is a violation of academic freedom, and it is important to know who doesn't like you.
• The insulter will eventually lose their welcome, and it is important to know who the insulters are because it gives a deeper understanding of human nature.
• The people who were the haters are usually low down in the intellectual scale, and there is a huge bloat of administration in American education.
• The beautiful variety that makes the university great is suppressed by the bureaucracy of meetings, committees, rules, and paperwork, which slows down the teaching and student life.

The Impact of Administrative Bloat on Academics and Free Speech

• Reducing the size of the administration bureaucracy would have a salutary effect on the academics of the University and academic freedom.
• It would cut tuitions by about 40 percent and create a whole different atmosphere on the campus.
• The same set of MIT or any other place would have the same effect.
• Administrators are a bad influence on American higher education, as they think it's their job to protect people from being insulted.
• The disciplinary hearings for insulting someone are unnecessary, as black people, women, Jews, and other groups are accustomed to being insulted.

The Importance of Knowing Who Doesn't Like You

• It is important to know who doesn't like you, as it is useful information to know who doesn't like you.
• If everybody is forced to say I love you, and nobody can say I hate you, you get a false view of what life is all about outside of the University.
• Knowing who doesn't like you is useful for the so-called victim, as it is as important to me as knowing who who likes me.
• It is important to know who the insulters are because it gives a deeper understanding of human nature.
• The insulters are usually not as smart as the people they've insulted, and that's probably one of the reasons they insult them because they feel inferior.

Harvey Silverglate's Background and Experience

• Harvey Silverglate is a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• He is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers and advocating for reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus.
• Silverglate has a long history of fighting for freedom of speech, including during the McCarthy era.
• He believes that the educational system has lost a sense of what academic freedom and free speech were all about and that it is essential to take them more seriously.
• Silverglate has had meetings with Harvard officials and has donated to the university.

The Role of the Harvard Board of Overseers

• The Harvard Board of Overseers is responsible for overseeing the university's academic and financial affairs.
• The board has the power to appoint the president and other key officials of the university.
• Silverglate believes that the board should resist the influence of hypersensitive protesters in protecting free speech and academic freedom, even hate speech.
• He believes that Harvard has done fairly well under the presidency of Lawrence Bossidy in protecting free speech.
• Silverglate is not happy with the appointment of Claudine Gay as president and believes that she does not respect academic freedom and free speech.

Silverglate's Specifics for the Harvard Board of Overseers

• To run for the Harvard Board of Overseers, one must be a Harvard alumni.
• The process for running for the board is done online and requires validation from an email address provided by Harvard.
• To vote for Harvey Silverglate, one must enter his name correctly on the online voting platform.
• Silverglate will provide all the necessary links and information for the voting process.
• Silverglate's specifics for the board include reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus.

Conclusion

• Harvey Silverglate is a legendary free speech advocate who is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers.
• He believes that the educational system has lost a sense of what academic freedom and free speech were all about and that it is essential to take them more seriously.
• Silverglate is not happy with the appointment of Claudine Gay as president and believes that she does not respect academic freedom and free speech.
• To run for the Harvard Board of Overseers, one must be a Harvard alumni and the process is done online.
• Silverglate's specifics for the board include reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus.

Harvey Silverglate's Experience with Harvard's Election Process

• Harvey Silverglate, a legendary free speech advocate, ran for the Harvard Board of Overseers.
• The Harvard Alumni Association sent out a letter to all living Harvard alums recommending officially nominated candidates.
• Silverglate wrote to the Alumni Association and asked to send out his policy positions to voters.
• The Alumni Association responded that they only send out the policy positions and platforms of officially nominated candidates.
• Silverglate believes that Harvard's policy is a subtle means of candidate suppression, not voter suppression.

Harvey Silverglate's Vision for Harvard

• Silverglate believes that Harvard should be a liberal arts college where the Clash of ideas produces truth.
• He wants to get rid of 95 administrators and reduce tuition by 40%.
• Silverglate believes that Harvard should be the most affordable college in the United States.
• He wants to promote freedom of expression, speech, and thought at Harvard.
• Silverglate believes that Harvard's greatest universities is something that everybody would agree on.

Harvey Silverglate's Background and Name

• Silverglate's name was originally spelled "Silverglid" but was transliterated as "silverglade" by an immigration officer.
• Silverglate's name is often misspelled due to the transliteration.
• Silverglate's name is a source of endless mistakes in his name.
• Silverglate's name is a fundamental absurdity of life and also the source of its beauty.
• Silverglate's name is often the subject of jokes and puns.

Harvey Silverglate's Message to Harvard Alumni

• Silverglate believes that Harvard should be a liberal arts college where the Clash of ideas produces truth.
• He wants to get rid of 95 administrators and reduce tuition by 40%.
• Silverglate believes that Harvard should be the most affordable college in the United States.
• He wants to promote freedom of expression, speech, and thought at Harvard.
• Silverglate believes that Harvard's greatest universities is something that everybody would agree on.

Harvey Silverglate's Ideas on Freedom of Speech and Diversity

• Silverglate is a legendary free speech advocate and co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
• He is running for the Harvard Board of Overseers and advocating for reducing the size of Harvard's administration bureaucracy and promoting free speech on campus.
• Silverglate believes that freedom of speech is essential for a healthy society and that it is being threatened by censorship and intolerance.
• He believes that diversity and inclusion programs are important, but that they should not be used to label people by their race, religion, or national origin.
• Silverglate is opposed to affirmative action and believes that it has become the way that universities decide who gets admitted because historically marginalized groups have been discriminated against in the admissions process.

Affirmative Action

• The speaker suggests that affirmative action is an obvious violation of equal protection of the law.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action is necessary to educate members of racial and ethnic minorities.
• The speaker suggests that affirmative action should be approved for 25 years.
• The speaker believes that the Supreme Court will abolish affirmative action in the near future.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action came into play because secondary and elementary schools are bad.

Public Education

• The speaker believes that the quality of elementary and secondary education needs to be improved.
• The speaker suggests that hiring fabulous teachers rather than necessarily members of the union is one way to improve education.
• The speaker opposes public workers unions because they have a skewed power balance.
• The speaker believes that without the teachers union, teachers who are really skilled will be able to get jobs.
• The speaker believes that the public educational system needs to be improved.

Personal Experience

• The speaker has a classmate who went to public schools in Cambridge and had a friend who was a black kid from Roxbury.
• The speaker attended school committee meetings when there was bargaining between the teachers union and the school committee.
• The speaker argued that they are taxpayers and have a kid in the school and have his best friend's best interests at heart.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action is necessary to educate members of racial and ethnic minorities.
• The speaker believes that the Supreme Court will abolish affirmative action in the near future.

Section 1: The Cambridge Teachers Association

• The speaker is an opponent of the National Teachers Association.
• The speaker believes that the public school system will never be improved as long as teachers are unionized.
• The speaker thinks that the core problem with inequality of opportunity is the public education system.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action is designed to solve the problem of inequality of opportunity.
• The speaker thinks that if public unions are abolished, the educational system will improve and affirmative action will not be needed.

Section 2: Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Programs

• The speaker believes that diversity, inclusion, and equity programs are trying to solve the problem of inequality in universities.
• The speaker thinks that affirmative action is a form of diversity, inclusion, and equity program.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action allows the system of elementary and secondary education to be bad because it covers up the wound.
• The speaker thinks that affirmative action will never improve as long as it is able to cover up the wound.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action is going to be abolished by the Supreme Court.

Section 3: Issues at Harvard and MIT

• The speaker discusses the same issues at Harvard and MIT.
• The speaker has written about MIT, a university in Boston where they have had incidents of academics and professors who have used their don't comport with the great Lillian Hellman.
• The speaker talks about the case of Dorian Abbott lecture that was canceled at MIT.
• The speaker believes that the clash of ideas is not such a good idea because some people's feelings will be heard.
• The speaker thinks that universities back down because they are embarrassed when the light is cast upon these situations.

Section 4: The Cambridge Teachers Association and Affirmative Action

• The speaker is an opponent of the Cambridge Teachers Association.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action is designed to solve the problem of inequality of opportunity.
• The speaker thinks that affirmative action is a form of affirmative action.
• The speaker believes that affirmative action allows the system of elementary and secondary education to be bad because it covers up the wound.
• The speaker thinks that affirmative action will never improve as long as it is able to cover up the wound.

The Importance of Freedom of Speech

• Freedom of speech is crucial for the existence of newspapers.
• Universities emphasize and catalyze embarrassment when there are cases of censorship.
• Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and it is important to fight censorship with transparency.
• Harvey Silverglate believes that universities should not remove the name of a donor who funded a building, even if the person is involved in a controversial issue.
• The Sackler building at Harvard is named after the Sackler family, who have become persona non grata due to their role in producing opioids.

Watch the video on YouTube:
Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377 - YouTube