My deepest pleasure is ______________.

Madame du Chatelet, Voltaire’s girlfriend.

Key words

How to generate writing from reading

framecontextbracket for your ideas

for domestic U.S. issuesFirst Amendment,U.S. Constitution

for international issuesArticles 18, 19, 20 Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights, U.N.

your essay on free speech

Free speech readings

Brownmiller on pornography

Lawrence on hate speech or fighting words

Bok on symbolic speech and speech acts

Bazelon on cyberbullying

Hudson on Internet filtering

Smolla on democracy and the marketplace of ideas

For the frame or context, see First Amendment; Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19; Smolla on the fundamentals of free speech

Smolla, “Free Speech in an Open Society”—

free, open = more individual freedom, more individual responsibility

“free market of ideas” = direct link between free speech & democracy (participation, people power)

free thought, free speech = political, social process of change

limits of free speech: to protect children, to prevent violence, to protect privacy

from Monk, The Words We Live By

First Amendment = 5 freedoms—religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition

Although the words of the First Amendment remains the same, interpretation changes over time—continually tested in courts of law and in the forum of public opinion

To protect a free exchange of opinions and ideas—to support the process of self-government—even of those in vigorous disagreement

Supreme Court restrictions = fighting words, hate speech, libel (printed), slander (spoken)

What is free speech?

public speaking and writing

demonstrations, protests, wearing or displaying symbols (black armbands, flags, colors)

symbolic actions such as flag burning or candlelight vigils

gathering in public spaces such as in the streets or parks

silence or the right not to speak—not saluting the flag, refusing to speak under threat

campaign finance—Citizens United decision, unlimited money to SuperPacs, a corporation is a person, money can talk

Notable expansion of the definition of free speech and expression—in legal and popular terms

If the Internet is a free, public space (like public sidewalks and parks), should it be regulated in any way? If the FCC bleeps “the 7 bad words you cannot say on TV,”

should there be any bleeps on the Internet? Limits and boundaries—where do we

draw the line?

free speech protection control suppression censorship

Where do you draw the line? Locate your position. Explain why.

So, what would Madame Chatelet say?

“My deepest pleasure is studying.”

Voltaire in old age, exiled from France, writing Candide.

Why was Candide banned? Why was Voltaire imprisoned twice and later banished from his home country?

Age of Enlightenment 1700s or 18th centuryAmerican Revolution 1776French Revolution 1789-1799

Role of reason and doubt to challenge the status quoMore freedom, more individual responsibility

Then . . . and Now

clergy, nobility, common people 1 percent v 99 percent, middle class

war and poverty Iraq and Afghanistan wars, oil

religious persecution, torture, execution Catholic Church scandals, Islamaphobia

natural disaster, Lisbon earthquake Katrina, Fukushima, Sichuan, Haiyan

gender roles feminism, what has changed? stayed the same?

To privilege reason is to give everyone the power of thought, the power of persuasion, the power to change.

optimism

“...the best of all possible worlds”

Why does Pangloss repeat this phrase?

How does the meaning of this phrase change as the story unfolds?

hypocrisy

corruption

intolerance, fanaticism

spectacle and cruelty of torture and execution

vanity, pretension

How does Voltaire express moral outrage? What are his principles and values? What are the contradictions of human nature?

satire - making fun of ourselves, exposing human folly in government, corporations, society; humor with a social conscience irony - to say one thing and mean another, meaning the opposite

humor - rooted in reality, finding surprise/contradiction for fun

to laugh - to express joy, scorn, discomfort, superiority, recognition of social/political error, release frustration

What were the targets of Voltaire’s satire?

What is the irony of warring kings singing Te Deums after battle?

After 250 years, why is Candide still so funny? So relevant?

Why was Candide a banned book? Its author exiled?

What is the danger of comedy? Who and what are threatened by laughter?

What is the role of doubt in critical thinking?

Is doubt a weakness or a strength?

Is it a sign of weakness to change our mind?

Why do we often commit fallacy and declare certainty on a burning issue?

If Voltaire were alive today, what would he say about --

hot spots: Ukraine, Turkey, Syria, N. Korea

poverty: 1% v. 99%, Occupy movement

torture and execution: waterboarding, force feeding hunger strikers, extraordinary rendition, capital punishment

gender roles: pay equity, same-sex marriage, abortion, stay-at-home dad, cougar, pool boy, trophy wife

celebrity gossip ... online social networking... Roman Catholic sex scandals ... military ... U.S. government ... Putin ... Pussy Riot ... protest ... 9/11 ... Islamaphobia ... NSA ... surveillance?

one more thingchoose one:

a) this midterm prep was a total waste of time because I already know this stuff

b) this prep was helpful - I can hardly wait to get home and start studying, making handy exam notes

c) although this prep was okay, I really want this course to be even more challenging with more complex readings and tougher writing assignments

d) meh, who cares? Voltaire? just one more dead white male