New Books in Intellectual History Jacob Mchangama, "Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media" (Basic Books, 2022)
Feb 8, 2026
Jacob Mchangama, founder of the think tank Justitia and author of a history of free speech, offers a sweeping tour from ancient Athens to social media. He traces Athenian isegoria and parrhesia, medieval Islamic skeptics, printing and the Reformation, decentralization's role in tolerance, and the paradoxical effects of censorship. Short, lively, and wide-ranging.
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Athenian Roots Of Public Speech
- Ancient Athens developed isegoria (equal political speech) and parrhesia (uninhibited cultural speech) that resembled modern free-speech practices.
- These civic practices allowed criticism of the constitution and fostered open public debate among citizens.
Medieval Islamic Free Thought
- Medieval Islamic thinkers like Ibn al-Rawandi and al-Razi advocated radical skepticism and reason as authority against religious orthodoxy.
- Their challenges to religious authority rivaled or exceeded contemporary Western medieval free thinkers.
Universities Sparked Intellectual Change
- Medieval universities and the spread of Aristotle created a culture of inquiry that undermined religious monopoly on knowledge.
- That intellectual 'pok[ing] around' seeded later scientific and philosophical revolutions.
