[travismark]

practicing the 'marketplace of ideas' led to the single most important idea/practice/accomplishment in history - the constitution of knowledge. just read jonathan rauch's new book. sure there are threats to this way of learning and understanding, and it isn't perfect. but it's the best we have, and it has not been debunked

[namlem]

To clarify, I belive that the marketplace of ideas is still a useful principle, and I absolutely am worried about censorship in certain domains. However, like any market, the marketplace of ideas is vulnerable to market failures. The idea that everywhere should be a marketplace of ideas is deeply unwise in my view. There should be areas where people can discuss any ideas freely, but I think it is foolish to deny the idea that information can be dangerous in some contexts. Look no further than the needless deaths caused by anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. To have a healthy marketplace for ideas, you need some degree of structure.