The
the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question cause or movement may be explored. Intellectual freedom encompasses the ability to hold, receive and disseminate ideas (http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/basics/intellectual.htm).
Intellectual freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for a redress of grievances (http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/firstamendment/faresources/resources.htm).
The issue of intellectual freedom is also an international one. On
1.After reading the First Amendment and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the
2.Do you think that the meaning of intellectual freedom is changing due to new technology and the post 9/11 political climate?
3.What role has intellectual freedom played in shaping our national identity and the history of the United States? Do you think that it has contributed to making this country a world power?
References
American Library Association. (2007).First Amendment Resources.
Viewed
American Library Association. (2007). Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q&A.
Viewed
14 comments:
In regards to question 2: Do you think that the meaning of intellectual freedom is changing due to new technology and the post 9/11 political climate?
I believe that information is available free of restriction today more than any other time in history. I do not think that the meaning of intellectual freedom is changing in that it still allows individuals the right to seek and receive information. However, the changes we see are the avenues in which we receive this information and the ways in which society relates to those avenues. Evelyn Shaevel and Beverley Becker, writing about the Challenges and Issues Today in the Intellectual Freedom Manual (2002) state that librarians have the responsibility of “…assuring that the information is not limited because of the format in which it is found, be it of a book, a video, a compact disc, or a Web site contained on the Internet” (Intellectual, p. 33). Shaevel and Becker (2002) agree that one of the five most frequently raised objections has to do with Internet access and that the problem lies with the vast amount of information available. Individuals afraid that children, and even adults, will find sexual content on the Web insist that libraries install filtering software (Intellectual, p. 33-34). Since the CIPA law was upheld by the Supreme Court, libraries have no choice but to use the filters in order to receive funding (Caldwell-Stone, 2003, p. 16).
The other part of the question deals with the fallout from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The Patriot Act was enacted to deal with terrorism, but according to a FAQ prepared by the ALA, it does not mean that state privacy laws are no longer “in force.” The state privacy laws still apply, however local police may work with federal agents in order to obtain records with a court order (FAQ, 2006). This does not change the precepts of intellectual freedom.
(2006) FAQ: USA Patriot Act. Retrieved February 17, 2008, from American Library Association Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/issuesrelatedlinks/usapatriotactfaq.htm
Caldwell-Stone, D. (2003, November/Decmember). Public Libraries and the Internet: The Supreme Court Upholds Funding Conditions Mandating Internet Filters. Municipal Lawyer. (vol. 44, No. 6). Retrieved on February 17, 2008 from: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/woissues/civilliberties/cipaweb/newsarticles/publiclibrariesinternet.pdf
Intellectual Freedom Manual (6th ed., 2002). Chicago: American Library Association.
In regards to question 3:
I feel that intellectual freedom has indeed shaped our nation. It has allowed citizens to look for information about issues, receive information about issues, and come to their own conclusions about ideas. It is with this type of freedom that women were allowed to vote and slavery was abolished. It is with this type of freedom that new issues, such as gay rights, will be researched, allowing citizens to lose their fears and accept these people as equals.
The first link you provided led to various answers to the definition of intellectual freedom on the ALA's homepage. "Why is it [intellectual freedom] Important?" It is what our democracy is based on as we are expected to be a society of self-governance. To self-govern, it is essential that we have access to information. How else could we understand all sides of an issue?
As Mary said, information is more freely available today than at any other time in our history, due to advances in technology. The internet allows us to explore information and ideas that our founding fathers never could have anticipated, such as pornography. Other examples would be pro- anorexia websites, or even the suicide pact websites that have gained a foothold among Japanese youth (Brooke, 2004). I don't know if new technology is changing the definition of intellectual freedom as much as expanding it- for better or worse.
According to the ACLU, the federal government may be abusing their power to obtain records.The Patriot Act, authorized in 2001, allows the government to secretly send NSLs, or National Security Letters to banks, internet service providers, and credit reporting agencies, commanding them to turn over the records of private citizens. In March 2007 the justice department reported that not only has the FBI has been issuing many more NSLs in recent years, they sometimes use these documents in unethical ways (http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nationalsecurityletters/index.html). I feel that this represents a change in the definition of intellectual freedom. It is almost like we need to add a warning: just be aware that the government may be checking up on you.
American Civil Liberties Union. (2007).Federal Court Strikes Down National Security Letters Provision of Patriot Act. Viewed February 10 from http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nationalsecurityletters/index.html.
Brooke, James (2004, October 18). Strangers in life join hands in death as web becomes a new tool for suicide in Japan. The New York Times. Viewed Febuary 18, 2008 fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/18/international/asia/18japan.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=japanese+internet+suicide&st=nyt&oref=slogin
I think that the right to free speech essentially means that no one has the right NOT to be offended. Being offended is the price we pay for free speech, and it really is a small price. Censors often mistakenly believe that they legally shouldn't have to be offended, but the law doesn't offer this protection.
I absolutely think that our idea of free speech is changing in a post 9/11 world. Anything unpatriotic now comes under scrutiny, which I feel is very unfair. Our nation was founded by men who did not shy away from criticizing government even when it constituted treason, and as I've said before, what's the point of protecting America if we must lose our freedom to do it? Freedom IS America.
I absolutely believe that free speech has helped make our country what it is. I was reading Wikipedia yesterday and found that Sweden -- notorious for its liberal policies -- didn't allow religious freedom until the 1950s! Our rights really are unique. I think that free speech allows us to operate a more effective democracy. Having a more effective democracy gives our leaders a greater mandate to rule and gives our nation more strength and unity.
1.Define this concept:
I think it's the right of all people to pursue the acquisition of information without limits.
2.Changing climate: I think people are strangely prone to self-censorship. The media has been muzzled by the Bush Administration on many issues. They are also limited by their corporate sponsors. I don't think libraries have felt a cooling effect. We're entering/have entered a recession, so people are more apt to use library resources.
3.What role has intellectual freedom played in shaping our national identity and the history of the United States? Do you think that it has contributed to making this country a world power?
American's general distaste for acquiring knowledge in the sciences and math have made them less competitive in the global market. (One thing Thomas Friedman has gotten right) People in the country seem to value faith over reason, and it is their loss. The united states is slipping as a world power. Our government and corporations are being ruined by cronyism and poor judgment. The knowledge rich professions are being filled by foreigners, and the uneducated Americans have fewer jobs to choose from as industrial jobs migrate elsewhere.
In regards to question two:
I think that perhaps the meaning of intellectual freedom is not changing for the everyday citizen, but it is changing for the government. The everyday citizen still believes that they have access and the right to read anything that they want to and it will be true and trustworthy. I'm not sure that the government believes this anymore though. The government seems to want to protect us from the information they think may "harm" us. Are they the ones to decide what we should and should not know about?
A while ago I saw a 60 Minutes episode on global warming and what the government is doing to make it sound better than it is for the everyday citizen. Here is a link to the transcript and the video clip: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985.shtml
This story was fascinating because the government itself was censoring the American public from the truth. They did not want the truth about global warming to be published by James Hansen, so they used their own editor to make his report not sound so bad by replacing words with more vague words.
I think the government thinks this is all right because the public is still receiving information on this topic. They feel they are not restricting the information because they are still publishing something. This is where the meaning of intellectual freedom changes. The government thinks they can control what is published to say what they want. That is not giving the public their intellectual freedom. They should print the truth. This is what the public has a right to.
I think that we will continue to see intellectual freedom changing in divisive ways like this before the government actually says that we don't have the right to receive anything we want to. They are trying to make their way around the First Amendment.
I think intellectual freedom is a concept that one should express their ideas without interference and that this can be in various forms. However, the First Amendment refers to "press" and is this directly related to books? Yet, I think the United States has a long history of regulating intellectual freedom and stifling information. Maybe more so after 9/11. Although technology is closing the gap among peoples and cultures, I think this should be regulated as well.
I came across this interesting, though brief, article about the conflict of supporting freedom of speech and opposing racial discrimination.
It is very interesting. Though personally, as much as any one issue bothers me I think freedom of speech is the more important idea. By ensuring the right for others to be heard is the only way to ensure that I can get my view heard. I think it was best put in this movie quote from the movie The American President: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."
Here is a link to the article:
http://tinyurl.com/2q3rkd
and another link to quotes from the movie The American President containing the final speech in its entirety.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112346/quotes
Sylvia,
When I asked about the role of intellectual freedom in shaping the United States, I was thinking about how it has helped make us a world leader in the area of scientific research. This is the reason that the U.S. has traditionally attracted the brightest people from all over the world in fields like medicine, aerospace engineering, etc. You are correct in noting that we are falling behind in math and science. (By the way, I think I remember reading that Thomas Friedman editorial, too!)
I agree that the government is putting their own spin on our news. However,as Jessica pointed out,this is nothing new. Global warming (excuse me, "climate change- a term coined by Republican strategist Howard Lutz) is a great example.
I agree the government and authorities have a great deal of what we hear about and what we see on T.V. I'm sure we never see what is really going on. We should be able to browse the internet and reading materials without having the feelings that we may not be reading the truth.
1.After reading the First Amendment and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the ALA’s definition of Intellectual Freedom, how would you define this concept?
I'd define intellectual freedom as the right to obtain, process, and express information and opinions. It's the ability for an individual to find and use souces of information from diverse perspectives, to freely debate this infomation, and to relate his or her take on the information to anyone who's willing to listen.
2.Do you think that the meaning of intellectual freedom is changing due to new technology and the post 9/11 political climate?
I wouldn't say that the meaning is changing, but there certainly are new threats to intellectual freedom today. The Dojiba and ALA articles from this week's reading point out the challenges presented by media mergers and conglomerates. The Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are destined to have a chilling effect on information consumption. (The ACLU has a good overview of FISA here: http://www.aclu.org/about/30137prs20070615.html. I also love the "Keep America Safe and Free" slogan.
3.What role has intellectual freedom played in shaping our national identity and the history of the United States? Do you think that it has contributed to making this country a world power?
It's impossible to have any sort of democracy without informed citizens, and the US has always prided itself (at least in theory) on being a free and open society. Intellectual freedom is central to both of those concepts.
Going along with Sylvia's comment, I am also interested in the concept of self-censorship. I think people do censor themselves because of a fear that has been instilled in them, or because of cultural mores. For example, even if there are no Internet filters in a library, how many adults will you find accessing pornographic sites in the middle of a busy computer lab? I'm sure there are a handfull that do, but more often than not I think people censor themselves based on what they perceive as "appropriate" or expected.
We have no filters on the computers at work, yet I do not visit some message boards or sites that I would access at home. The message boards and sites are not explicit in nature or offensive, but some things, in my estimation, are just not appropriate to view at work. I do not feel censored or limited; I recognize that there are appropriate times for goofing off online and times for concentrating on work.
2.Do you think that the meaning of intellectual freedom is changing due to new technology and the post 9/11 political climate?
I like the way jessica m puts it, the meanin isn't necessarily changing, but it is threatened. I understand the reasonings that lie behind changes that the government wants to make, but it is also important to respect the rights of the citizens that live in our democratic society.
Post a Comment