“In liberal society we claim that freedom of speech is sacred and therefore has an absolute character. But we know (or should know) that "free speech" inhabits a structured space: not only is "hate speech" legally forbidden in liberal societies, but there are also laws protecting the circulation of copyrighted material, and the reproduction of trademarks and patents without explicit permission.” KnowsShouldCharacterLawHateSpaceMaterialsSpeechClaimsAbsolutesSacredFree SpeechFreedom Of SpeechPermissionForbiddenReproductionPatentsCirculationExplicitHate SpeechTrademarks Author:Talal Asad
“The notion of "humanity" as a form of transcendence derives, I think, from the conviction that intellectuality possesses an absolute power, from the demand that our best behavior depends on our ability to think abstractly, in terms of a universal rule, about something called humanity, that we need to understand humanity abstractly so that we can act responsibly towards those who represent it.” ThinkingNeedsFormHumanityTermAbilityDependsDemandBehaviorUniversalAbsolutesNotionConvictionTranscendenceAbsolute Power Author:Talal Asad
“For the law, the clarity of language and the finality of judgment is crucial, because you have to decide a case one way or another - whether it is criminal or civil or whatever. In ordinary life, you do not have to decide things with absolute finality. You do not have to decide on a theory in order to behave in a certain way towards other people.” PeopleWayLawCertainOrderLanguageCasesTheoryJudgmentOrdinaryAbsolutesCriminalsClarityOne WayBehaveCrucialOrdinary LifeFinality Author:Talal Asad
