Argument Over Free Speech

The Argument Over Free Speech in the Classroom

One of my favorite parts of my high school career was being able to engage in conversation in class when a lecture went off topic. Granted, I hardly ever participated in these discussions because of how shy I was (and still am), but I digress. Being able to speak up in class about what you believe in is an incredibly satisfactory feeling, and many students feel that this is beneficial to their education. In his article titled "Universities Are Right to Crack Down on Speech and Behavior", Eric Posner takes a bold stance on the decision some universities have made to cut out classroom discussions. As the title suggests, Posner believe it is an excellent idea for these institutions to take away the rights of students to engage in conversation with not only their fellow peers, but their teachers as well. Within the first few paragraphs of his article Posner states that college students must be "protected like children while being prepared to be adults," …show more content…
While he is right in saying that a student is not going to master Earth Science by having a chat with their classmates about global warming, there is a common misconception that many people have when it comes to discussions in classrooms: it gets children to think. If students are expected to be learning the trades of adulthood while in college, they should be allowed to have mature discussions like one. One example that Posner uses is a student noticing that equal marriage is consistent with John Rawls' philosophy, and another student seeking out the professor after class to state their disagreement. Posner praises the instructor's dismissal of the comment, because to him, it was not necessary. This is true, but in many ways, a discussion could have been had between the professor and the student opposed to equal marriage to educate them on the