ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I advance a number of arguments against restricting speech, political dissent, and cancelling by drawing on some insights of Hannah Arendt, John Dewey, and John Stuart Mill. First, I examine Arendt’s notions of plurality and action and demonstrate that they are essential for citizens in a democratic society. Next, I turn to Dewey’s understanding of the essence of democratic societies in order to show how it compares with how we normally conceive of democracy. The concepts of Arendt and Dewey presented here serve as a foundation of political insights, one that I use to bolster Mill’s arguments in favor of the liberty of thought, expression, and discussion. I assert that Mill’s views on free speech and expression are just as relevant today as when he first conceived them over one hundred and fifty years ago. As such, Mill’s views on liberty can be used to check our impulses to cancel individuals and ideas that are controversial or unorthodox.
