In his seminal work, On Liberty, philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote that “the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race.” He continued, “If the opinion is right, [those who hold it] are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.” A recent spat at my alma mater illustrates how our nation’s colleges and universities are forgetting Mill’s important lesson.
Earlier this month, in the Chicago Tribune, DePaul University law professor Monu Bedi—under whom I studied criminal law and procedure—argued that there was “nothing racist about the actual law or policy” of New York City’s stop-and-frisk, under which police could question and sometimes search civilians on the street for illegal firearms. Bedi argued that the distinction between a policy and its application is meaningful, noting that “reforming people” and “reforming laws” represent “different objectives that naturally require different strategies.” This seems reasonable, particularly given his belief that we can effectively govern how law enforcement wields its power without eliminating that power altogether.
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