Free speech is not the only value that democratic societies subscribe to. Nor does, or should, our commitment to free speech always have to trump competing values such as national security or personal dignity. But the principle of free speech nevertheless stands in need of exceptional, and exceptionally strong, counterarguments in cases where we are [...]
Aug 152010
The 2nd annual conference and AGM of the Free Society Institute
Co-hosted by the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
Registrations are unfortunately closed at this time.
Date: September 11th, 2010, 09h30 to 17h00
Venue: The Cape Milner Hotel, 2 Milner Road, Tamboerskloof (click “continue reading” for directions)
Cost: R0
Good without god: is a secular viewpoint our best guide to moral clarity?
Programme:
- 09:30: Tea
- 10:00: Leo Igwe – Opening address
- 10:30: Tauriq Moosa – A critique of sanctity
- 11:30 Signe Rousseau – Dirty Gods: Why #TAPL is bad for our moral health
- 12:30 Lunch
- 13:30 Jacques Rousseau – Common-sense morality
- 14:30 Andrew Dellis – The ‘New Atheists’: Advocacy and public relations
- 15:30 Open discussion – Secularism in South Africa: where to from here?
- 16:30 Adoption of Constitution
- 17:00 Closing
Respecting people versus respecting beliefsThere is no contradiction between saying that someone has a misguided, uninformed or laughable point of view, and at the same time recognising that person’s worth or dignity in general. |
The defense of reasonAmongst the things we probably know is that (to quote Hitchens again) “the defense of science and reason is the great imperative of our time”. And the enemies of science and reason are not always somewhere else – they are sometimes next door to you, or even sharing your bed. |
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Thought police impede libertyDifficult choices and their consequences are what we learn from, and removing choices can make children more difficult to protect – simply because part of what you are doing by limiting choice is turning adults into children, and thereby making your problem larger. |
Newsnight interviewInterview regarding Jacob Zuma’s call for a conversation regarding SA’s moral code. ETV newsnight, 26 March 2010. |
Pornography should be embraced as freedom of expressionIndeed, there may be parts of the spectrum of adult entertainment that we find offensive in their presentation of violent and sexist themes, just as these themes exist in some of our films, advertising, music videos and consumer products. But one cannot legislate for offence, or on one group’s definition of what is offensive – yet this seems to be exactly what fundamentalists wish us to do. |
How harmful is pornography really?A response to Errol Naidoo’s letter on DStv’s proposed porn channel, by Kent Solomon (Secretary of the Free Society Institute) |
Comment on DStv’s plan to introduce a porn channelHas porn been proved to cause sexual violence, as they claim? No. Does our Bill of Rights enshrine freedom of expression? Yes. And has DStv put systems in place to prevent children from accessing its adult channels? That would be another yes. |
FSI Conference 2010: Call for papersAnnouncement and call for papers for the 2010 conference of the Free Society Institute. |