In Commencement Address, Author Ian McEwan Defends Free Speech on Campus, Even if You Disagree With It

In his commencement address on Sunday at Dickinson College, English novelist Ian McEwan spoke about the importance of free speech and not censoring or running away from ideas we don’t agree with.

It’s a pressing issue on many campuses these days, with “safe spaces” and trigger warnings and protests against critics of religion (like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Bill Maher), and McEwan words couldn’t have come at a better time. His comments referenced Christopher Hitchens, the recent PEN Awards, and Char...