Free expression is an idea, regularly debated and refined, over history. 

Political theorist and historian Timothy Garton Ash believes civilization is impossible without careful exploration and appreciation of this concept. We discuss his latest book, Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World. He calls the process of writing Free Speech, a “journey…not to eliminate conflict between human aspirations, values and ideologies…but [to]…work towards a framework of civilized and peaceful conflict, suitable to and sustainable in this world of neighbors.”

Garton Ash is also professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution.