‘Dignitarian Harm’: The Newest Thought Police Rationalization by Robert George | On
August 3, 2016
Occasionally I warn people who share my
point of view (or at least some of my values, like the importance of freedom of
speech) of something that, from my perch in academic life, I see coming over
the horizon. I’m going to do that again now.
As the left (with notable honorable
exceptions) veers further in the direction of authoritarianism (what Jonah
Goldberg calls “liberal fascism”), you will begin to hear a word (and a phrase)
that will be the touchstone of justifications for cracking down on speech that
violates norms of political correctness by criticizing conduct or behavior that
has been condemned as immoral or degrading by classical, religious, and natural
law ethics.
The word is “dignitarian.” The phrase is
“dignitarian harm.”
It will be in the name of “dignitarian
harm” (harm to people’s dignity) that more and more people will be fired from
or excluded from employment, or denied business, or educational opportunities,
or otherwise disadvantaged. Similarly, religiously affiliated academic
institutions, health care providers, and social services agencies will be
targeted for allegedly causing “dignitarian harm.”
We have here a matter on which
libertarians and conservatives (and even old fashioned liberals) can and must
unite. The concept of “dignitarian harm” as a justification for restricting
civil liberties is profoundly dangerous. It is a rationalization for speech and
thought policing. But it’s already appearing in law review articles and even
legal briefs. It must not be permitted to gain a foothold in our jurisprudence.
Comments
Canadians
are fined and jailed for exercising free speech. This may be for making a comment about Gays
or expressing concern over Muslim migration.
This is the tyranny of oppression by minorities. It is exactly what
Hitler used to crush any resistance to his Nazi Party.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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