FridayJan 09, 2026
Quotes: 53419 Authors: 9969
Jeffrey Outlaw Shallit (born October 17, 1957) is a computer scientist, number theorist, and a noted advocate for civil liberties on the Internet. He is married to Anna Lubiw, also a computer scientist.
[He] seems to want it both ways: the freedom to hold and express beliefs, and immunity from criticism for those beliefs. This is the kind of attitude that leads inexorably to totalitarianism. It is to be decried, particularly in a university environment where the search for truth necessitates that no belief be treated as sacred or above scrutiny.
What [he] is apparently objecting to is that not everyone takes his beliefs seriously. Indeed, some don't seem to respect his beliefs at all, and actually poke fun at them. Well, I have news for [him]: that's the nature of a free society. Opinions don't necessarily merit respect; they must earn respect in the marketplace of ideas.
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