TY - BOOK
T1 - The Freedom to Remain Silent
T2 - The Right to Make Qualified Contributions to the Public Sphere
AU - Hansen, Ejvind
PY - 2026/1/8
Y1 - 2026/1/8
N2 - The role of silence in democratic settings should be rehabilitated. Democratic theories are concerned with mechanisms and institutions that counteract silence in society. As a supplement to this, it is first demonstrated that we must not forget how silence determines the significance and meanings of utterances made. Secondly, that silence can be used as a critical tool to get better listening, more open conversations, and greater thoughtfulness in the public sphere. The widely recognized freedom of expression should thus be supplemented with a freedom of silence, a freedom to let silence disturb the discursive relevance criteria.
AB - The role of silence in democratic settings should be rehabilitated. Democratic theories are concerned with mechanisms and institutions that counteract silence in society. As a supplement to this, it is first demonstrated that we must not forget how silence determines the significance and meanings of utterances made. Secondly, that silence can be used as a critical tool to get better listening, more open conversations, and greater thoughtfulness in the public sphere. The widely recognized freedom of expression should thus be supplemented with a freedom of silence, a freedom to let silence disturb the discursive relevance criteria.
UR - https://brill.com/display/title/70594
M3 - Book
SN - 978-90-04-74437-0
T3 - Social and Critical Theory
BT - The Freedom to Remain Silent
PB - Brill
ER -