Jan 212011
 

On Monday of last week, Eric Daniels gave a stellar webcast on free speech. Here’s what one person said about the webcast, even though unable to attend the live event:

I just now got the chance to listen to Dr. Daniels’ webcast on the free speech. I also wanted to tell you that I loved it! Ever since the Clemson Conference I’ve always enjoyed hearing Dr. Daniels speak and this was definitely no exception.

I think putting talks together in this format is an incredibly awesome idea. I generally only hear these kinds of speakers in the one or two guests we have at Michigan every year, and of course at OCON. To have this kind of original content delivered straight to my computer was incredible.

Also, I thought content of the talk really hit the sweet spot in terms of working from a foundation that I was familiar with, bringing in a good number of things I didn’t know, and then weaving them together to demonstrate a more full understanding of the principles involved. I felt like I learned a lot, but never once felt like I was lost or couldn’t follow what he said.

I second that!

So… I’m pleased to announce that the webcast — in the form of 1 hour and 44 minutes of streaming video, streaming audio, or downloadable audio — is now available for sale. It costs $50 to purchase. For that price, you’ll enjoy full access to the streaming video and audio for at least two months. You can also download an audio MP3 of the webcast during that time, and you’re welcome to play that from now until doomsday. You’re welcome to share that streaming video or audio file with members of your own household, but not with anyone one else. You cannot download the video, but only the audio.

To purchase the webcast, you simply need to send me $50, preferably via PayPal. If you do that, I’ll send you the instructions for viewing the webcast within 24 hours.

Or, if you would prefer to pay by check or money order, please submit this order form, then mail your payment of $50 for each webcast ordered to Diana Hsieh; P.O. Box 851; Sedalia, CO 80135. In that case, you can expect an e-mail with instructions for viewing the webcast in a week or two, once payment has been received.

Further instructions on giving the webcast as a gift to someone else or showing it before a group can be found on the OList page for the webcast: Eric Daniels Webcast on the Foundations of Free Speech.

To refresh your memory, here’s the abstract, now slightly updated:

Freedom of speech and expression forms a vital foundation of a free society. The Founding Fathers established a firm but not unassailable foundation for protecting this freedom in the First Amendment. Over the course of the twentieth century, freedom of speech experienced a patchwork of protection and rejection by the courts. In recent major cases, the US Supreme Court and lower courts have appeared to bolster the protection for speech in areas such as campaign finance, obscenity, and commercial speech. Despite these victories, the foundation of these decisions has relied upon the flawed theories of free speech that have been part of American jurisprudence. Without a proper foundation for freedom of speech, these cases will remain a paper barrier to further assaults on our freedoms.

In this webcast, Dr. Daniels investigated some interesting recent developments in First Amendment cases (including Citizens United v. FEC, United States v. Stevens, and others). In many of these cases, he illustrated how the flawed theories that support the correct decisions act to undermine the proper defense of freedom. He also discussed what a proper defense would look like in each case and suggested ways that we can act to protect freedom of speech into the future by improving its foundations.

Dr. Eric Daniels is a research assistant professor at the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He lectures internationally on American history. He recently coauthored U.S. Economic Freedom Index. He contributes to The Objective Standard and wrote a chapter for Abolition of Antitrust.

In addition, you can listen to the audio from the webcast preview. (Dr. Daniels’ portion is 17 minutes, just after a 5-minute introduction from me on pledging for or purchasing the full webcast.)

If you’d prefer to download that file, you can do that here.

As for future OList Webcasts… I’m working on lining up webcasters now. I’m not yet sure who the OList webcaster will be in February, but stay tuned!

   
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