What is free speech?; Why does it matter? These are pressing questions. In this book, Alan Haworth outlines and analyses the main arguments philosophers have advanced over the centuries, in an attempt to answer them clearly. He emphasises the strengths but also the weaknesses of those arguments, demonstrating that an understanding of both is essential if one is to to grasp the true nature and value of free speech.

The contemporary debate over free speech tends to be clouded by rhetoric. Against that, Haworth stands back and takes a cool look at the issues. This book comes down on the side of clarity. It is an essential primer on an important topic.