Dare to Look: What Art Censorship Reveals About Ourselves | William Harris | TEDxHaverford College

Are you really against censorship, or do you preach "free speech for me, but not for thee" (https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780... In this talk, William Harris explores the shifting reasons for the censorship of Francisco de Goya's "Maja desnuda." Using case studies from art history, William makes an appeal to principle. He argues that people who think they're against censorship often practice a one-sided defense of free expression, and he advocates for a different approach, where free speech is protected as a universal value, regardless of one's personal sympathies. Emphasizing the emancipatory power of art, William encourages audiences to dare to engage with material that challenges them, provokes reactions, and stimulates discourse. William graduated from Haverford College in May 2024 with a B.A. in History, having minored in Spanish and the History of Art. His senior thesis, “Dare to Look: Manuel Godoy’s Secret Cabinet and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Spain,” analyzed the late Inquisition’s censorship of art and literature and won the History Department Senior Thesis Prize and the Libraries Research Award. William interned at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) before accepting a full-time position at FIRE after graduation. William is an alumnus of the United States Senate Youth Program and Middlebury Language Schools. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx