Debate Issue | SpeakFreely Magazine

As I write this, I’m yards away from the famous ‘Speaker’s Corner’ in Hyde Park, London—a spot where, for over a hundred and fifty years, passionate orators, arguers, and oddballs have gotten on their (literal) soapboxes and preached to passersby about whatever civic, social or political issues have grabbed their attentions. The location, which has in the past been frequented by everyone from Lenin to Orwell, became a symbol of free speech and unfiltered public discourse. But a big part of speaking out in the public square is hearing opposition to your views—indeed, Speaker’s Corner has always been prone to hecklers, too. Disagreement and debate are important, and you should be grateful if you live in a society where they’re commonplace. Debate can be fun, but it can sometimes be messy and uncomfortable. As an opinionated yet introverted person, I sometimes find myself instinctively shying away from conflict, at the cost of properly speaking my mind. But this isn’t healthy, for individuals or for societies. Debate, even the messy, loud, uncomfortable kind, is essential for keeping ideas alive and keeping power in check. SpeakFreely’s first ‘Debate Issue’ contains pairs of writers arguing for opposing views on given topics. Michael Huemer and Felipe Gomides go head-to-head on the question of whether the non-aggression principle should apply to animals. Charles Amos and Paritosh Purohit grapple with the difficult topic of assisted dying. Our Executive Publisher Ian Golan joins us to participate in two debates: with Trevor Horn and Ricardo Filipe on the topics of religion and voting, respectively. My own contribution, on the question ‘Should libertarians be libertines?’ doesn’t have an opposing article yet—we’re leaving that open to you, the reader, and we’ll be accepting rebuttals on this topic (more information available on page 21). We hope you enjoy reading the wildly different, opposing opinions expressed within this issue. It goes without saying, but all articles within these pages express the opinions of the authors, and not necessarily SpeakFreely or Students For Liberty. Enjoy reading. Who knows, you might even have your mind changed. John Devlin Editor in Chief, SpeakFreely Magazine