In my latest Federalist piece I explore a much more profound reason for the First Amendment than we're used to thinking about. It protects your right to form families and friendships. To better understand the connection, try this thought experiment. Imagine being unable to express your ideas to others, while they are unable to express theirs to you. No one may deviate from Big Media's and Big Tech's approved narratives in what they may say or write. Where do you end up in that state of affairs if it's allowed to persist? You end up in a vacuum in which there's no real conversation or thought exchanged. Relationships, and the potential for relationships, drastically erodes in such a vacuum. As does all private life. We end up in a miserable state of social isolation, an isolation that prepares the ground for a more authoritarian state.
Here's an excerpt from my essay:
Political philosopher Hannah Arendt noted that all totalitarian systems depend upon cultivating social isolation in people. Isolation renders people powerless. So it’s no wonder that freedom of expression is always first on the chopping block during and after authoritarian takeovers. A cursory look at communist and fascist governments in the 20th century confirms that they’re always intent on destroying the entire sphere of private life and relationships.
I think if more people understood free speech in this light, they'd be more inclined to protect it. Because no one wants to be alone. You can read the whole piece at this link:
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