LOOKING over the e-mails I've received about two comics about the conception and death of Jesus that ran in this newspaper recently, I have come to the conclusion that a review of some basic matters is required.
First, The Cavalier Daily is an independent student newspaper. Its leadership is elected annually by its staff. It does not speak for the University. To call on the University administration, the governor of the state or any institution of student self-governance to interfere in the workings of the newspaper is to reject one of the fundamental values of the University: freedom of thought and expression, otherwise known as "freedom of speech."
Second, the term "freedom of speech" has multiple closely related, yet distinct, meanings. The right to free speech, strictly understood, is simply the right to speak without facing force or the threat of force. It is violated when the government censors a newspaper, when terrorists threaten those who criticize their religion and in similar cases that involve physical force. Because students, and probably to a lesser extent faculty and administrators, think of universities as communities, university disciplinary action is often regarded as analogous to punitive action by the government, and thus the right to free speech is regarded as including protection against university discipline over speech. At state institutions such as the University, the courts go along, because the official actions of such universities are government actions.
Even when it appears in this newspaper, however, the individual speech of students and faculty is just that: individual speech.
Free speech is a very high value -- and that value goes far beyond the comparatively simple matter of the right. The pursuit of truth requires a free, rational mind. When the desire to win favor, or avoid penalties -- including the social sanctions of a hostile community -- competes with the hunger for truth, it subverts the mind. Moreover, the pursuit of truth is greatly aided by access to the insights and opinions of others--otherwise, students would merely observe the world and figure out everything for themselves, instead of reading books and attending classes.
Because free speech is of fundamental importance to the free, rational mind -- and therefore to individuals' ability to govern their own lives and participate in public affairs -- individuals and society need institutions that foster free speech. That means not only not interfering by force, but actively supporting a wide range of expression. The right to free speech is observed whenever we refrain from suppressing speech, but the value of free speech is served even better when we encourage people to read, think, speak and write freely.
Two of the best institutions the free world has for this purpose are universities and newspapers. They provide contexts in which individuals can explore ideas, test them out against one another, and present them to others for their consideration. They are instruments designed not merely to state the truth, but to search for it. That's a fundamentally important reason to support a right of free speech at universities, a right that protects every student and professor against punishment for his or her views. And that's why newspapers ought to welcome a wide variety of views in their own pages.
Our University, more than others, is dedicated to the free quest for knowledge, and has been from the beginning. "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind," wrote Mr. Jefferson. "For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it." If you think you have heard these words too often, perhaps it is because you have not grasped their significance.
If you think the two cartoons for which The Cavalier Daily has lately come under attack ought not to have been published because they were clearly offensive and contributed nothing of substance to any discussion of Christianity, I agree with you about at least one of the comics, and I said so last week. But to those who would call down the wrath of higher powers against the newspaper -- whether at the University, in Richmond, among the American people or above all humanity (if you believe in such a power) -- I would ask you to remember the value of free speech. I would ask you to remember that when any speech is suppressed, a lot of speech is suppressed. And I would ask you to ask yourself: Are you prepared to reject the freedom of the human mind -- are you prepared to condemn the very foundation of inquiry and knowledge -- are you prepared to sacrifice the values the University exists to serve -- because you were insulted by a cartoon?
Alexander R. Cohen is The Cavalier Daily's ombudsman. He can reached at ombud@cavalierdaily.com.
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