Living Freedom: Learn to think
It's the final day to apply for the Living Freedom summer school. Here's Ella Nixon on why any young person interested in free speech and intellectual enquiry must attend
Over the past week, I have been writing a blurb for an upcoming debate at the Living Freedom summer school (London, 29 June - 1 July 2023). In the process, I have been reminded of how much my thinking has changed since actively engaging with freedom of expression.
During my undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge I never truly reflected upon what freedom of expression meant. I was well aware that in the university environment, I could say some things and not others (a lesson learned through reactions to my unthinking deployment of coarse northern slang) but had never really linked this to free speech.
Looking back, my undergraduate mind strikes me as immature: I diligently read and revised the material, but did not take the time to contextualise the material in order to formulate my own thoughts. This formula worked well throughout school but proved to be less successful at university level.
Luckily, just before my finals, I finally started to get it. A supervisor recommended (tongue-in-cheek) that I write ‘more like a man’. Perhaps shocking when transcribed, in the context his comment made perfect sense. My supervisor was referring to the socialisation of girls towards obedience: a phenomenon that maps onto primary and secondary school measures for success.1 I finally understood why my peers were doing better than me despite studying for far less time.
The reason: I was not writing with creativity or boldness. For the most part, I digested and recounted the material in pre-set formulae: dates, statistics, facts, etc. A successful study session was measured by hours and a tick-list of books read.
Upon the realisation of my mistaken approach, I began to study less, think more, and unleash my creativity in the process. The result? A much-desired First.
My thought has been maturing at an exponential rate since my BA through self-consciously thinking about arguments, rather than just recounting them. Yet, there have been a couple of milestones along the way which have been particularly formative to this development. For the sake of keeping this post brief(ish), I will describe just one.
Living Freedom
In July 2022 I attended the Living Freedom summer school in London, organised by Ideas Matter:
At Living Freedom school, you will get to grips with the best that has been said and written over the centuries and important contemporary issues. Our expert thinkers and campaigners will help you explore the value of free speech and other freedoms today.
In certain circles, simply mentioning ‘free speech’ rouses suspicion. “Isn’t that just a right-wing issue?”, some may say. To this, the answer is no, and if it seems so then it should be your responsibility to prove otherwise. This isn’t me indicting those with right-wing inclinations but rather highlighting how free speech is misunderstood, and in doing so appears to live up to its stereotype.
Even brief research into the history of free speech will correct these assumptions. Did you know, for example, that The Guardian was originally founded as a free-speech journal?2 One should engage in free speech forums both regardless and, most importantly, because of political allegiance.
Unbridled debate will actually sharpen your arguments and train you in the habit of thinking creatively. There is no better exercise than someone disagreeing with you and then actually wanting to hear your arguments, thus allowing you to reflect on your own. Conflict resolution manifests because debate is a form of moderation.
Attending this conference made me acutely aware of how to supercharge my intellectual approach. To offer a balanced argument is to actively seek opposing views. It can be tiring and uncomfortable at first, but let me tell you, the journey is utterly enthralling. Never before have I been so articulate and creative.
Yet, I tell you this not to paint a self-portrait of success. One of the best things about freedom of expression is that it cultivates an appreciation of how much you don’t know. Humans are complex. To believe that you are correct based on one-sided research or purely personal experience is unsustainable for society-wide solutions. As Socrates once said, “All I know is that I know nothing.”
Freedom of speech is a slow realisation of the truth through wisdom, and an invitation to join its thrilling and collaborative adventure. In an age of polarisation, it can bring us together, and in the process make us more articulate, thoughtful, and empathetic to seemingly disparate views.
This year, Living Freedom will be held 29 June - 1 July in central London. Applications close on 15 May 2023 (TOMORROW) and is open to anyone aged 18 - 30.
This post originally appeared on Ella’s Substack.
For research about gender and the education system, see Joanna Williams, Women vs. Feminism: Why We All Need Liberating from the Gender Wars (2017).
See Jacob Mchangama, Free Speech: A Global History from Socrates to Social Media (2022).