I think it's mostly social, responding to a specific prompt. If you say "Lovely and brisk today!" versus "Wow, it's bloody freezing!" you'll get different responses, and no-one thinks this is a puzzle about people's genuine opinions about the weather.
"Should people be able to say what they like?" is heard as an invitation to support free…
I think it's mostly social, responding to a specific prompt. If you say "Lovely and brisk today!" versus "Wow, it's bloody freezing!" you'll get different responses, and no-one thinks this is a puzzle about people's genuine opinions about the weather.
"Should people be able to say what they like?" is heard as an invitation to support free speech, so people take it. "Should people be able to say sexually inappropriate things in the workplace?" is heard (on the margin) as an invitation to condemn sexual harassment, so people take it.
I think it's mostly social, responding to a specific prompt. If you say "Lovely and brisk today!" versus "Wow, it's bloody freezing!" you'll get different responses, and no-one thinks this is a puzzle about people's genuine opinions about the weather.
"Should people be able to say what they like?" is heard as an invitation to support free speech, so people take it. "Should people be able to say sexually inappropriate things in the workplace?" is heard (on the margin) as an invitation to condemn sexual harassment, so people take it.