Despite a plethora of new ways to communicate in our digital world, surveys show that people are increasingly fearful of speaking their minds. In today’s “cancel culture,” sharing unpopular opinions can result in being publicly threatened or even in losing one’s job. As a result, many people find it safer to avoid discussing controversial topics among friends, family members, and colleagues. But what do we risk losing when we don’t speak our minds? In his new book, Why It’s OK to Speak Your Mind (Routledge 2021), Professor Hrishikesh Joshi offers a powerful defense of free speech and free exchange of ideas. Drawing on Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, and a host of contemporary thinkers, Joshi argues that open public discourse is crucial for flourishing both as individuals and as a society. Challenges to our opinions refine and strengthen our understanding, and sharing our thoughts with others helps us develop as free and independent thinkers.

Join MI president Reihan Salam and author Dr. Hrishikesh Joshi to learn timely and persuasive arguments for speaking one’s mind in the public sphere.

Hrishikesh Joshi is Assistant Professor at Bowling Green State University and works on moral and political philosophy. He completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University.

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