Opening Up the Marketplace to Free Trade in Ideas
8 Pages Posted: 21 Jun 2013 Last revised: 12 Nov 2013
Date Written: 1989
Abstract
This is a review essay on Fighting Faiths: The Abrams Case, The Supreme Court, and Free Speech by Richard Polenberg (New York: Viking Press, 1987). In a culture of consesus, the dissenting voice rarely finds an eduring place in history. An exception occurs when the dissent ultimately becomes the majority voice or when it wisely directs future generations to a new course. Polenberg's book title implies that the main focus of the book is on the Supreme Court's free speech theories and the Holmes dissent. Instead the focus is more on the story of the Abrams defendants. He describes the defendants beliefs and action in great detail, at the same time as he gives an insightful view of the evolution of the famous Holmes dissent.
Keywords: Review, Abrams case, Supreme Court, dissenting voice, free speech theories, Holmes dissent
JEL Classification: K1, K3, K10, K30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation