Introduction

Harmful language occupies an increasingly important place in philosophy of language. The focus to date has been on the nature and impact of harmful speech. This includes hate speech, slurs, pejoratives, derogatory expressions, and certain types of propaganda. This language changes social norms. Harmful speech first raises problems of defining the bounds of civil speech and harmful speech. It also requires explanation of how it alters conversational and social norms. Harmful speech is not just a matter of words that offend. It contributes to oppression. Given the recent rise in hate speech and the concomitant decline in civil discourse, it is an important and timely topic of study. It is also a topic studied by sociologists, linguists, computer scientists, philosophers, and others. The chapters in this volume thus offer a multidisciplinary examination of how harmful speech works and considers avenues for resistance, remedy, and contestation.