Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Constitutional, Education & Teaching, Educational Theory, Educational Reform
Cover of the book Democracy, Expertise, and Academic Freedom: A First Amendment Jurisprudence for the Modern State by Robert C. Post, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert C. Post ISBN: 9780300148640
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: January 24, 2012
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Robert C. Post
ISBN: 9780300148640
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: January 24, 2012
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

A leading American legal scholar offers a surprising account of the incompleteness of prevailing theories of freedom of speech. Robert C. Post shows that the familiar understanding of the First Amendment, which stresses the “marketplace of ideas” and which holds that "everyone is entitled to an opinion," is inadequate to create and preserve the expert knowledge that is necessary for a modern democracy to thrive. For a modern society reliably to answer such questions as whether nicotine causes cancer, the free and open exchange of ideas must be complemented by standards of scientific competence and practice that are both hierarchical and judgmental.

Post develops a theory of First Amendment rights that seeks to explain both the need for the free formation of public opinion and the need for the distribution and creation of expertise. Along the way he offers a new and useful account of constitutional doctrines of academic freedom. These doctrines depend both upon free expression and the necessity of the kinds of professional judgment that universities exercise when they grant or deny tenure, or that professional journals exercise when they accept or reject submissions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A leading American legal scholar offers a surprising account of the incompleteness of prevailing theories of freedom of speech. Robert C. Post shows that the familiar understanding of the First Amendment, which stresses the “marketplace of ideas” and which holds that "everyone is entitled to an opinion," is inadequate to create and preserve the expert knowledge that is necessary for a modern democracy to thrive. For a modern society reliably to answer such questions as whether nicotine causes cancer, the free and open exchange of ideas must be complemented by standards of scientific competence and practice that are both hierarchical and judgmental.

Post develops a theory of First Amendment rights that seeks to explain both the need for the free formation of public opinion and the need for the distribution and creation of expertise. Along the way he offers a new and useful account of constitutional doctrines of academic freedom. These doctrines depend both upon free expression and the necessity of the kinds of professional judgment that universities exercise when they grant or deny tenure, or that professional journals exercise when they accept or reject submissions.

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book American Sympathy by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Comanche Empire by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Accessible Connecticut by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Charles Dickens by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Formation of the Jewish Canon by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book A Great Leap Forward: 1930s Depression and U.S. Economic Growth by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Building a New Jerusalem by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The List by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Battle for the Arab Spring by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Future Humans by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Behind Closed Doors by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Digital World War by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Winter Mythologies and Abbots by Robert C. Post
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy