Free speech, autonomy, and the marketplace of ideas

Freedom of expression, as a philosophical and legal problem, has re-emerged in recent debates about the revival of sedition laws. Modern sedition laws are targeted at types of speech advocating violence against the state, in the form of religious sermons preaching violent jihad, or glorifying acts of terrorism, although they are broad enough in scope to potentially cover much more than this.1 They have been justified on the grounds that material advocating terrorism has become more pervasive, partly, on account of Internet technology; that the advocacy of terrorism is effective in radicalizing and recruiting so-called terrorists; that the glorification of terrorism contributes to the cultivation of terrorist mindsets; and that a sovereign government has the right to resist both external and internal aggression, and to protect the citizens of the state from harm.