Where should we draw the line on freedom of speech?
Where should we draw the line on freedom of speech?
The concept of freedom of expression is hotly contested at the moment. There is debate about “cancel culture”, the question of whether extremists and populists should be given a platform in the media, the question of how to talk about Israel in Germany and much more.
Even though most of us consider freedom of speech to be extremely important, hardly anyone argues that it should be limitless. But where do we draw the line?
In this experimental discussion, we want to ask ourselves how it should be:
What would be a fair and healthy approach to freedom of expression for us? How do we as a society decide which statements we tolerate and which we do not? Is this exclusively the task of politics and the judiciary or should it also be negotiated in public discourse, by individuals, mass media and organizations?
Join our discussion!
This discussion is part of the event series “The Discussion Experiment”. It serves to test and further develop new, more inspiring methods for group discussions.
Participation is free and you don’t have to prepare anything; just bring curiosity and about 2 hours of time.
When & where:
Fr, 14 June – 18:00 (in English)
Berlin, Schöneberg
Please reserve your seat via Eventbrite
Here are answers to some questions you might have:
The discussion experiment is a method designed to discuss complex and controversial topics in groups in a way that creates more clarity, reduces misunderstandings and makes conversations more interesting, inspiring and fruitful.
This is achieved with a new moderation technique that slows down and relaxes the discussion and supports all speakers in formulating their statements in a more clear and focused manner.
The aim of each discussion is to further improve the method based on the experiences we make – at the same time, of course, we want to have an interesting evening and an engaging discussion.
No, this format is not about competing against each other or about convincing people through rhetorical skill. Rather, it’s about finding common ground despite different opinions and exploring various aspects of a topic together.
It’s perfectly fine to just listen. You can decide for yourself at any time how active you want to be and will not be asked to speak. The only exception is at the beginning of the conversation, where we do a quick round where all participants say their names.
The event lasts about 2 hours, i.e. until shortly after 8 pm. After the event, anyone who still has time and wants to can enjoy a drink to round off the evening.
The image above was created with AI (DALL-E).