Eight Values of Free Expression
1. Marketplace of Ideas
John Milton said that letting all ideas compete helps the truth come out stronger. When people can discuss freely, they find out what is true. I believe that this is a great way to help collaborate through ideas. According to David Schultz, he states, “This concept draws on an analogy to the economic marketplace, where, it is claimed, through economic competition superior products sell better than others.” Just like in a marketplace where better products are more successful because they compete against each other, the same idea applies to ideas and opinions. When different ideas are allowed to compete, the stronger or better ideas will become more popular or accepted over time. This stands out to me because I am a strong believer of talking through things and letting everyone be heard, so this is important to me.
2. Participation in Self Government
Alexander Meiklejohn believed that for democracy to work, citizens need access to information. If they can’t hear different opinions, they can’t make good choices in elections. This stood out to me because it talks about how citizens need to be educated on all points of views before voting in elections. According to Center for Civic Education, they state, “We should be sure the people we "hire" (elect) can do the job we are hiring them for. Once they get the job, we should keep an eye on them to make sure they are doing that job. If they do a good job, we may not watch them as closely. If they do a bad job, we may watch them very closely and may even decide to replace them.” They compare electing a president like hiring someone for a job. I believe this is the perfect comparison because I also strongly believe that the people of America need to have a say on who will be running America. The government cannot speak for every single American, so that is why this is important.
3. Promote Tolerance
Lee Bollinger said that protecting all speech, even hateful speech, teaches society about tolerance. Discussing difficult topics helps people understand why some views are harmful. This stands out to me because I agree that having a discussion about it instead of hiding from it teaches us tolerance for these harmful speeches. Since speech is not an action, society has the right to say whatever they want. Because of this, we need to have tolerance. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, and even when people express harmful or unpopular views, it is protected by law, as long as it is not a threat. According to Ryan T. Anderson, he states, “The United States is a pluralistic society. To protect that pluralism and the rights of all Americans, of whatever faith they may practice, religious-liberty laws are good policy. Liberals committed to tolerance should embrace them.” He is saying that the United States has many different cultures, beliefs, and religions. To protect this diversity and everyone’s rights, laws supporting religious freedom are important. It suggests that people who care about tolerance should support these laws so everyone can practice their beliefs freely.
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