The right to speak

I refer to the letter by Abraham Blackman (August 10) regarding his doubts about Norman Lowell's right to free speech.

Mr Blackman should be made aware of what freedom of speech really entails. Freedom of speech does not mean that one can speak freely only until one remains agreeable and mainstream. Freedom of speech means that anyone can give his views. In fact, fringe views, rather than mainstream ones, should be more entitled to the right to freedom of speech because it is the latter that we have come to take for granted as self-evident truth and it is here that the real damage to human thought is wrought.

The quality of content of what one says remains to be seen and judged but who is Mr Blackman to judge what one should read or what causes offence?

It is up to persons of goodwill to put forth good arguments against Mr Lowell rather than call for his silencing.

It is an offence to our intelligence to think that we, with the conceivable exception of Mr Blackman, are too naïve and too obtuse to read Mr Lowell's ideas without recognising them for what they are.