Description
Book SynopsisThis thoughtful and iconoclastic book argues that silence can be an expression of freedom.
Trade Review"Michael Seidman is one of the nation's most creative and challenging thinkers about constitutional law. He has an uncanny ability to make you think twice, and then again, about the meaning of our deepest national commitments. In this elegant volume, he gives voice to the many ways in which the right to silence and its opposite—the duty to speak—reflect the paradoxes of our constitutional tradition. You will never hear the Miranda warning in the same way again." -- David Cole * author of
Enemy Aliens: Double Standards And Constitutional Freedoms In The War On Terrorism and legal affairs editor for
The Nation *
"
Silence and Freedom is a profound, unsettling, and trailblazing work that easily deserves attention. Even those who believe they have engaged in serious reflection on such subjects as compulsory flag salutes, torture, and suicide will find themselves troubled and enlightened by Seidman's insights." -- Sanford Levinson * University of Texas *
"Seidman... favors scrapping Miranda rules in favor of public interrogation in the presence of counsel, backed by contempt charges against suspects who won't talk—and delights in tripping up conventional wisdom in logical paradoxes." --
Publishers Weekly"Seidman offers a creative, unconventional, and at times quite brilliant meditation on the various issues clustered around the notion of silence. He identifies problems associated with the right to silence, shows why they exist, and demonstrates how difficult they will be to overcome. The book is by turns engaging, intriguing, and often dazzling." -- David A. Strauss * University of Chicago *
Table of Contents[Table of Contents] Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: The Strangest Right 2. Some Useful Dichotomies 3. Apology and Silence 4. Silence and Self-Incrimination: "Fuck This Shit" 5. Silence and Intimacy in the Station House 6. Torture's Truth 7. Free Speech and Free Silence 8. Silence and Death 9. Conclusion: A Little Less Noise, Please Notes Index
