Another misuse of the phrase "begging the question" by the moderator, at the very end. It refers to circular argumentation, not to "okay, that makes me want to now ask the following question...". Pet-peeve of mine.
The notion of criminalizing hate speech or even incitement that stops short of physical attack is a very slippery slope. The reason that physical invasion of one's body or other property is a workable dividing line is that it is an objective standard; the borders of one's body or other property are clear for all to see, and thus so is an invasion. To claim that something short of that is a "crime" is to enter a very blurry area, and represents an asymmetry; prosecution would involve using force against the "perpetrator's" body, when that body has not initiated force against any other person or their property.
Another misuse of the phrase "begging the question" by the moderator, at the very end. It refers to circular argumentation, not to "okay, that makes me want to now ask the following question...".
ReplyDeletePet-peeve of mine.
The notion of criminalizing hate speech or even incitement that stops short of physical attack is a very slippery slope. The reason that physical invasion of one's body or other property is a workable dividing line is that it is an objective standard; the borders of one's body or other property are clear for all to see, and thus so is an invasion. To claim that something short of that is a "crime" is to enter a very blurry area, and represents an asymmetry; prosecution would involve using force against the "perpetrator's" body, when that body has not initiated force against any other person or their property.
ReplyDelete