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Liars
Book

Liars

Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception (Inalienable Rights)

Cass R. Sunstein
Oxford UP, 2021
First Edition: 2021

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Analytical
  • Bold

Recommendation

Legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein wisely notes that America’s freedom of speech never has been absolute. Perjury, false advertising and other types of untruths are illegal. He argues that courts can and should remove First Amendment protection for harmful falsehoods, such as so-called deepfake videos and images of public figures that liars create by harnessing artificial intelligence. Misinformation has become ubiquitous as false statements proliferate online, particularly on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Widespread falsehoods about government officials and agencies generate negative consequences, Sunstein writes, and endanger democratic self-government.

Take-Aways

  • The United States should limit free speech by punishing people who spread harmful falsehoods.
  • “Counterspeech” holds that the best response to false speech is more true speech.
  • Social media outlets increasingly serve as platforms for false claims that endanger democracy.

About the Author

Cass R. Sunstein, the Robert Wesley University professor at Harvard University, founded and directs the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. His other books include How Change Happens and Too Much Information.

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