PHILOSOPHERS' CORNER

Lethal Speech

“Can Speech Kill?” The obvious answer, it seems, should be: yes, but not directly. However, if one person engages in hate speech against another—using racial slurs or de-humanizing language such as “cockroaches” or “rats”—can that language be counted as killing or contributing to killing other people?

Is “Fascism” a Useful Word?

The word "fascism" is thrown around so much, it risks becoming an empty label. It has been used to describe students at Yale who demand a safe space as well as self-declared anti-fascists. So should we just give up on this word?