Why we at FIRE are thankful for free speech this Thanksgiving

Whether you think it’s cute or corny, it’s good to periodically remind ourselves why we do what we do

Nov 27, 2024

I turned 50 this year, which means I'm officially in my dotage. And, being Russian and Irish, I am prone to being misty more often than I was in my frittered youth. So now I’d like to take some time to be a little sentimental about what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving — and ask my team to do the same as well.

I am thankful for the entire FIRE team, which has become, despite my best efforts, very much like a family to me. We are all united in the common desire to make sure that freedom of speech is just as strong, if not stronger, when we hand it off to our children and grandkids as it was at the height of First Amendment law and free speech culture (which may very well have peaked only 15 or so years ago). It will never be perfect, of course, but certainly a lot better than where we are now.

I am thankful to all of you who subscribe to The Eternally Radical Idea and who take the time to read even some of my more ridiculously long posts. And I'm particularly thankful to those of you who are paid subscribers, because that money goes directly to FIRE — who I know use your subscription dollars well.

And here’s why I am thankful for free speech:

I am thankful for freedom of speech because it is an idea radical in every generation that — despite what our top-down intuitions might tell us — is the best technology ever developed for peace, prosperity, self-government, innovation, and authenticity. You can't fully be yourself without freedom of speech. But perhaps even more importantly, without freedom of speech we stand literally zero chance of understanding the world as it is.

Yes, some critics of freedom of speech like to pull a trick lately where they claim that we free speech defenders say something as silly as, “all you need is freedom of speech, and we'll just magically find out what is true.” No, that is a straw man argument, and an attempt to portray people from John Milton to us today at FIRE as a bunch of dummies. And here I have news for you: John Stuart Mill was smarter than any of us, especially the modern critics of freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech is necessary for the discovery of truth. Absolutely necessary. You don't have a chance in hell of finding out what's actually true if people aren't allowed to say what they really think, express their doubts, dissent, and engage in thought experimentation, devil's advocacy, and counterfactuals. Without this, you have zero chance of knowing the world as it is. But even with that, you still need additional steps — whether those are the scientific method, academic freedom, or Jonathan Rauch's broader concept of “liberal science.”

Never take someone seriously who tries to convince you that just because freedom of speech is only necessary and not sufficient to being democratic, innovative, aware of the world as it exists and, well, fully human, that this somehow means freedom of speech is not that important. We’ve taken those folks too seriously for too long, but I’m also thankful that more and more of us are giving them the eye rolls they always deserved.

But enough of my sermonizing. Now I want you to hear from the team that makes ERI possible, and then I want you to hear from some of the people who make FIRE possible:

“I’m an idiot. But I’m (slightly) less of an idiot today because I constantly got to hear people tell me that I’m wrong. Whether it was about the death penalty, comic book movies, religion, or eating meat, my life and mind have been enriched and expanded by dissenting perspectives. If I had the power to silence them, that never would have happened. That’s why I’m thankful for free speech. I’ll never not be an idiot, but as long as the conversations continue I know I’m striving in the right direction.”

— FIRE Senior Writer & Editor Angel Eduardo

“I’m grateful for free speech (a.k.a. ‘the eternally radical idea’) because of the way it’s helped me refine the things I believe and abandon those I don’t. Contact with counter arguments and opposing viewpoints at particular moments in my life has deepened my understanding of who I am and the principles I hold dear.”

— FIRE Executive Assistant Perry Fein

“Whatever limits we place on free speech are limits we place on human creativity. Because that’s the source of so much beauty and relief, I’m thankful we don’t place very many. Creativity gave us space travel, antibiotics, and tacos. If that doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you’re an Arbor Day person.”

— FIRE VP of Strategic Initiatives Adam Goldstein

“I'm expecting visitors for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that because of the First Amendment, it's unlikely any of them will be police officers inquiring about my X posts.”

— FIRE Executive Vice President Nico Perrino

“I am thankful for free speech because as a Philadelphian it allows me to say, ‘screw the Cowboys!’”

— FIRE Chief Operating Officer Alisha Glennon

“I'm grateful for free speech because it sure as hell beats the alternative.”

— FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley

“In today’s society, where open dialogue is more important than ever, I’m thankful for free speech because it empowers us to express these values, bridge divides, and foster the meaningful conversations that drive progress and understanding.”

— FIRE Chief of Staff Nerida Brownlee

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and I want to reiterate once again my gratitude for your support for free speech and for FIRE. It’s the only reason we’re able to keep this important mission going.

If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider donating to FIRE and becoming a member. Together, we can continue to defend free expression in court, on campus, and in our culture.

Thank you all.