# Ep. 256: Ten arguments against free speech

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/so-to-speak-the-free-speech-podcast-705607/ep-256-ten-arguments-against-free-speech
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/so-to-speak-the-free-speech-podcast-705607/ep-256-ten-arguments-against-free-speech.md
Podcast: [So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/so-to-speak-the-free-speech-podcast-705607)
Published: 2025-10-30T14:31:00+00:00
Episode link: https://sotospeak.libsyn.com/ep-256-ten-arguments-against-free-speech
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/sotospeak/RC_102925_STS_256_NADINE_GREG_EDIT_01_1.mp3?dest-id=601059
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/so-to-speak-the-free-speech-podcast-705607/episodes/ep-256-ten-arguments-against-free-speech
Duration seconds: 4459

## Resource

We tackle ten common arguments against free speech. FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff and FIRE Senior Fellow and former ACLU President Nadine Strossen are the co-authors of the new book, "War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail." Transcript Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Book's origins 04:25 Argument #1: Words are violence 20:27 Argument #2: Words are dangerous 25:09 Argument #3: Hate speech isn't free speech 31:06 Argument #4: About shoutdowns 37:18 Argument #5: Free speech is outdated 45:41 Argument #6 Free speech is right-wing 50:14 Argument #7: About that crowded theater and marketplace of ideas 59:27 Argument #9: Misinformation and disinformation 01:03:53 Argument #8: Free speech protects power 01:09:30 Argument #10: About the Holocaust and Rwandan genocide 01:13:35 Outro Get the Book: Purchase War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail. Enjoy listening to the podcast? Donate to FIRE today ( https://www.thefire.org/ ) and get exclusive content like member webinars, special episodes, and more. If you became a FIRE Member through a donation to FIRE at thefire.org and would like access to Substack's paid subscriber podcast feed, please email sotospeak@thefire.org .

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## Transcript

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