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Browse materialsMIT 24.150J · Fall 2023

Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech

Art: Italian illuminator, Boethius initial consolation philosophy, 1385 · Public domain

Instructors: Prof. Alex Byrne, Prof. Brad Skow
Term: Fall 2023
Level: Undergraduate
What's inside: 3 readings · 47 other files · 8 web pages
Materials open: MIT OCW

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Source: MIT OpenCourseWare 24.150J Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech, Fall 2023, Prof. Alex Byrne, Prof. Brad Skow — original course page on ocw.mit.edu ↗. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Study order: MIT's own listing order, section by section. Taken from MIT's published course files, downloaded from ocw.mit.edu on September 23, 2026. How RedLectern is built.

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MIT OpenCourseWare, Prof. Alex Byrne, Prof. Brad Skow, 24.150J Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech, Fall 2023.

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Edition: Fall 2023 · Open the original course on OCW ↗

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Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech

Before you start

What's here, and what isn't

Not included here

Materials by section

Readings

In-Class Questions

Assignments

Lecture Slide 01: Overview of the Class: Content; Principles of Civil Discourse

Lecture Slide 02: The Case Against Prior Restraint

Lecture Slide 03: The 1st Amendment

Lecture Slide 04: More on the 1st Amendment

Lecture Slide 05: J. S. Mill’s Defense of Free Speech

Lecture Slide 06: The Duty to Speak Your Mind

Lecture Slide 07: Non-Government Censorship and “Cancel Culture”

Lecture Slide 08: Wrap-Up Discussion of Non-Government Censorship and “Cancel Culture”

Lecture Slide 09: Against Free Expression

Lecture Slide 10: Defending Hate Speech Restrictions

Lecture Slide 11: Hate Speech Restrictions and Political Legitimacy

Lecture Slide 12: Hate Speech and Silencing

Lecture Slide 13: Hate Speech and Silencing, cont'd; Offensive Expression

Lecture Slide 14: Offensive Expression, cont’d; Pornography and Harm

Lecture Slide 15: Pornography and Harm, cont’d

Lecture Slide 16: Pornography and Silencing

Lecture Slide 17: New Dangers of Free Speech in the Information Age

Lecture Slide 18: Liberalism in 5 Minutes; Paternalism Tentatively Defended

Lecture Slide 19: Anti-Paternalism: The Knowledge Problem

Lecture Slide 20: Anti-Paternalism: Autonomy; Unintended Consequences

Lecture Slide 21: Conservatism: Against Autonomy

Lecture Slide 22: Liberalism and Immigration

Lecture Slide 23: Conservatism: Against Gay Marriage

Lecture Slide 24: Religious Freedom I. The Separation of Church and State, Pro and Con

Lecture Slide 25: Religious Freedom II: Are Religious Exemptions to General Laws Justified?