People have rights. Ideas do NOT have rights. In the marketplace of ideas, the ONLY way for the BEST ideas to rise to the top is if we are able to discuss AL…
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3 Comments on “Blasphemy is Crazy, Ideas do NOT have rights”
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@Jeff0314 OK, let me phrase it this way. If a blasphemy law in a given
country forbids you from mocking a certain religious belief, would you
agree that the law is, in effect, protecting that idea (from public
criticism)? I think that you and I agree that ‘rights’ are (or should be)
for people, not for ideas. But I think that blasphemy laws do give
quasi-rights (protections) to ideas (the laws protect religious ideas by
making it illegal to criticize those ideas). Don’t those laws protect ideas?
@Jeff0314 You agree with me in supporting free speech as an important human
right. But your comments also imply that it makes no sense for me to point
out that while people have rights the actual ideas do NOT have rights. The
reason I point this out is that there are indeed countries where IDEAS are
protected by law (e.g. blasphemy laws) even when such legal protection for
ideas clearly impinges on the free speech rights of the people. See
cartoonist “Bahadır Baruter” in Turkey, facing jail.
@Jeff0314 Excellent explanation. I know what you mean now; thanks. I agree
that the cartoonist in Turkey is not facing jail just for ‘having the
idea’, but rather the ‘crime’ is for expressing the idea (in his case his
cartoon poked fun at Islam). Still, I think that the blasphemy laws do
protect ideas, by making it illegal to openly question/critique/mock/etc.
those ideas. Thus, I stand by my perspective that such laws give deference
to protected ideas above/over people’s rights to free speech