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All 8 Flashcards — Free speech and its limits
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Question
Mill's harm principle?
Answer
You may limit someone's liberty only to prevent harm to others — never merely because you dislike or are offended by what they do.
Question
Harm vs offence?
Answer
Harm is a real setback to someone's interests (safety, rights); offence is just being upset or disgusted, with no damage done.
Question
What speech does Mill let us limit?
Answer
Speech that HARMS — threats, incitement to violence, defamation — but NOT speech that merely offends.
Question
Why is hate speech the hard case?
Answer
It sits on the harm/offence line: sustained targeting can genuinely make a group less safe (harm) or be relabelled offence to silence critics.
Question
Freedom of information?
Answer
The right to access information, especially about what those in power are doing — free speech's twin.
Question
Censorship?
Answer
A state or power suppressing speech or information it doesn't want people to have — often disguised as 'preventing harm'.
Question
The pattern behind every free-speech limit?
Answer
Every ban gets justified by calling something 'harm' — so always ask: real harm, or offence/embarrassment relabelled as harm?
Question
How does Section B differ from Section A?
Answer
Section B is a pure essay [25] with NO stimulus — you supply the views, argue them, weigh them and conclude.
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Topic 7.3 hub
Liberty and rights
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