A Critical Discussion of "The Ethical Presuppositions behind the Library Bill of Rights"

In "The Ethical Presuppositions behind the Library Bill of Rights," Martin Frické, Kay Mathiesen, and Don Fallis argue that the presuppositions of the Library Bill of Rights regarding censorship, access, and paternalism need revision. They also maintain that a revised Library Bill of Rights needs to rest on a sound philosophical foundation. The foundation they propose is John Rawls' version of social contract theory. I take issue with both claims. Regarding social contract theory, I argue that utilitarianism yields nothing to it regarding the types of materials that libraries should offer and who should have access to those materials. As for the Library Bill of Rights itself, I criticize parts of their interpretation and their positions on censorship, access, and paternalism. My main concern here is with the authors' defense of paternalism in libraries, which would commit them to Internet filtering. I dwell at some length on the dangers of filtering.