The principle of objectivity has fallen out of favor with Americans in recent years, a development that coincides with a sharp decline in belief in God. Indeed, schools and corporate HR departments now explicitly associate the term with the gravest of moral evils. Subjective feeling has usurped fact. Real knowledge has been usurped by other " ways of knowing ." The pursuit of truth has given way to my truth and your truth — which is, of course, no truth at all.

In this new moral order, the struggle for power between competing people and groups is all that remains in the absence of a higher value. This often manifests as an information war; whoever crafts and controls the dominant cultural narrative is able to accumulate power. As such, the powers that be rely upon cultural institutions, such as Hollywood and academia, to reinforce their preferred political narratives. They also work hand in hand with search engines and social media platforms to reduce the reach of information that challenges their narrative, even after their narratives are decimated by the facts.

But it is not enough to amplify a particular message; narrative control also demands the active suppression of contradictory information. Egregious examples of speech suppression are numerous. They include the Biden administration’s unconstitutional efforts to pressure social media companies to censor information related to COVID-19 and the 2020 election and any number of incidents on college campuses dating back to the early 2010s.

But far more insidious is the sustained effort to convince the public that free speech is dispensable and perhaps even counterproductive to the cause of democracy. Today, progressives have become increasingly convinced that unfettered speech is more dangerous than free speech is precious. The heightened stakes of the Trump era, punctuated by one crisis after another, as well as the rise of pernicious information bubbles online, have created the conditions for free speech to be maligned to great effect.

A recent study reveals that support for free speech among Democratic voters has fallen sharply in recent years. According to the survey, only 31% of Democrats now strongly agree with Voltaire’s famous defense of free speech: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." In addition, 75% of Democrats now believe that the government should actively censor social media. Basketball star and Democratic Party activist LeBron James summed up the mainstream liberal attitude well in 2019 when he uttered the following concerning China’s crackdown on free speech in Hong Kong: "Even though yes, we do have freedom of speech, there can be a lot of negative that comes with that too.'

On the campuses of American universities, hostility toward free speech is even more pronounced. A recent study by the Buckley Institute at Yale University found that 51% of students now support "speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty." In addition, 63% support DEI statements, which amount to compelled political speech, as a condition of employment at the university. These stances contrast sharply with Yale’s official motto, which was written in the spirit of the Enlightenment: "Lux et Veritas," or "Light and Truth."

Free speech is not merely one right among many but rather the bedrock of all rights — it is the first amendment for good reason — But it is only useful to a nation that believes in truth and is committed to its discovery. Until America rediscovers its belief in a transcendent objective reality, free speech will remain under assault by those who believe in nothing but the pursuit of power.

Peter Laffin is a contributor at the Washington Examiner. His work has also appeared in RealClearPolitics, the Catholic Thing, and the National Catholic Register.