In this article hate speech is considered as a deeply politicized category of public discourse against which relevant reservations could be raised. First, the category suffers of conceptual vagueness (the label “hate” is vague; the objects of hate are vaguely identified; the border between what is speech and what is not is vaguely traced). Second, the category is fed by political and epistemic disparities: hate speech is possible only on the background of asymmetrical relations, it is unilateral discourse (from specific speakers against specific targets). Third, the category promotes a moralistic conception of public discourse, justifying a distinction between good and bad tendencies of forms of expressions and punitive interventions against the bad ones. Explored these reservations the conclusion is that the category is unreliable both as an analytical and as a normative tool.

Hate Speech.Una categoria inattendibile / A. Besussi. - In: BIBLIOTECA DELLA LIBERTÀ. - ISSN 2035-5866. - 54:224(2019), pp. 39-54.

Hate Speech.Una categoria inattendibile

A. Besussi
2019

Abstract

In this article hate speech is considered as a deeply politicized category of public discourse against which relevant reservations could be raised. First, the category suffers of conceptual vagueness (the label “hate” is vague; the objects of hate are vaguely identified; the border between what is speech and what is not is vaguely traced). Second, the category is fed by political and epistemic disparities: hate speech is possible only on the background of asymmetrical relations, it is unilateral discourse (from specific speakers against specific targets). Third, the category promotes a moralistic conception of public discourse, justifying a distinction between good and bad tendencies of forms of expressions and punitive interventions against the bad ones. Explored these reservations the conclusion is that the category is unreliable both as an analytical and as a normative tool.
Free speech; public discourse; the vagueness of hate
Settore SPS/01 - Filosofia Politica
2019
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
03-BDL224_Besussi.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione 235.92 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
235.92 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/660794
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact