
Kindly Inquisitors
The New Attacks on Free Thought, Expanded Edition
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Narrated by:
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Penn Jillette
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By:
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Jonathan Rauch
About this listen
"A liberal society stands on the proposition that we should all take seriously the idea that we might be wrong. This means we must place no one, including ourselves, beyond the reach of criticism; it means that we must allow people to err, even where the error offends and upsets, as it often will." So writes Jonathan Rauch in Kindly Inquisitors, which has challenged listeners for more than 20 years with its bracing and provocative exploration of the issues surrounding attempts to limit free speech. In it, Rauch makes a persuasive argument for the value of "liberal science" and the idea that conflicting views produce knowledge within society.
In this expanded edition of Kindly Inquisitors, a new foreword by George F. Will strikingly shows the book's continued relevance, while a substantial new afterword by Rauch elaborates upon his original argument and brings it fully up to date. Two decades after the book's initial publication, while some progress has been made, the regulation of hate speech has grown domestically - especially in American universities - and has spread even more internationally, where there is no First Amendment to serve as a meaningful check. But the answer to bias and prejudice, Rauch argues, is pluralism - not purism. Rather than attempting to legislate bias and prejudice out of existence or to drive them underground, we must pit them against one another to foster a more vigorous and fruitful discussion. It is this process that has been responsible for the growing acceptance of the moral acceptability of homosexuality over the last 20 years. And it is this process, Rauch argues, that will enable us as a society to replace hate with knowledge, both ethical and empirical.
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Required Reading for Life in 2023 and Beyond
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Best book I've read in 20 years.
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Essential Reading
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Penn Jillette‘s reading is... well hey, it’s Penn! I really like his delivery. He brings passion and commitment to every word he speaks. Sometimes his reading is a little too fast, but I can easily forgive that. He moves the text along and makes the book enjoyable and dynamic.
There are a few spots where his tone of voice changes dramatically. I can’t tell if it’s because those sections were recorded later, or if perhaps they are footnotes he is reading in an intentionally subdued voice. In either case, I merely note them as anomalies; cosmetic blemishes on a beautiful work.
I recommend this book whole heartedly. I’m inclined to buy a bunch of copies and hand them out to all my friends.
Outstanding
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thoughtful and intriguing
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Penn's narration is pretty good, but changes in volume and pitch for random sections is at times distracting but isn't too much to get in the way of listening.
Reasoned and principled approach to epistemology
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Absolutely stunning
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I love Penn Jillette and his voice is great. The producer deserves a kick for not noticing the changes in his voice where they obviously did re-recordings. However, this is a great book to take advantage of Audible's cross-purchase discount with Kindle if available. You'll find dozens of passages worth highlighting.
One of My Top 3 Books - Ever
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Empathic defense of free expression
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An excellent testament to the virtue of free speech!
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