This article is part of the Research Topic
Insights in Sociological Theory: 2022
Public Discourse and Wilful Incommensurability A Case for Attentive Free Speech Provisionally Accepted
- 1Association for Baha'i Studies, Canada
- 2Nipissing University, Canada
- 3Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Canada
Many thinkers lament the decline of liberal democracy. Some argue that, to rejuvenate it, we must think big. Thinking big involves generating new ideas about how to achieve an unprecedented level of social transformation aimed at cultivating solidarity, empowering citizen efficacy, and promoting the common good. We propose that fundamental to such a transformation must be a radical change in how people speak to one another. To this end, the primary objective of this paper is to offer a framework for understanding how speech currently erodes democratic engagement. The central idea is that much of speech today both reflects and perpetuates a culture of wilful incommensurability. The core features of this culture are totalizing safetyism, expressive safetyism, dismissive intransigence, and polarized alienation, all of which have been worsened by the current trajectory of social media. The result is that people are increasingly prone to engage in degraded free speech, which is characterized by a pervasive aversion to reach out, identify points of unity, benefit from diverse perspectives, and discover truth in all its potential complexity. In view of this diagnosis and the response of those who advocate for freedom of speech, a second objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of attentive free speech. Attentive free speech has similarities with civil discourse but is specifically characterized by discernment and thoughtfulness and is imbued with key dispositions such as courage, reverence, and love. We end by inviting future research into how such speech can promote the social and spiritual health of the public sphere and freedom itself at a practical level.
Keywords: Wilful incommensurability, degraded free speech, attentive free speech, liberal democracy, public discourse, consultative epistemology
Received: 02 Mar 2023;
Accepted: 16 Apr 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Smith and Kelly. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Dr. Todd O. Smith, Association for Baha'i Studies, Ottawa, Canada
Dr. Benjamin W. Kelly, Nipissing University, North Bay, P1B 8L7, Ontario, Canada