Blog 4: The Eight Values of Free Expression

 The Eight Values of Free Expression

The Eight Values of Free Expression that we discussed are all necessary to understand and implement in order to preserve our First Amendment right of free speech. They tend to go hand in hand, and losing sight of one will most likely result in a loss of appreciation for the others. In essence, they all address the protection of speech that is in danger of being censored or 'canceled,' and how it is actually more beneficial for a society to allow this speech. In all honesty, I would love to address each and every value and all of their intricacies, but for this post, I will just be focusing on a few that specifically caught my interest.  

The Marketplace of Ideas

The first Value of Free Speech that I would like to address is the Marketplace of Ideas. This value is taken from John Milton's Areopagitica. This value asserts that when truth and the distortion of truth are freely spoken in a society, that society will always find the truth. The coherent nature of truth assumes that truth will remain constant, meaning that by opening the floor to many differing opinions, it is inevitable that the truth will come out. This concept also asserts that by having to work through what is true and what is false helps people to strengthen critical thinking and it makes truth even stronger. We see this concept being lost today as people push to ban hate speech. It is vital that dissenting speech is protected just as much as truthful speech, or we stand to lose the value of ascertaining truth. This particular value resonates with me because I have always been encouraged to form my own opinions and I see the value in gathering different facts and opinions before I form my own.

Stable Change

Another Value of Free Expression that is very relevant today is the idea of Stable Change which is an idea introduced by Benedict Spinoza in his work Tractatus-Theologico Politicus. Stable change conveys the idea that when citizens are allowed to speak freely that society is more stable than if these citizens were repressed. One reason that this remains true is because when citizens express their discontentments then the government is aware of where instability lies in society. Allowing citizens to vent often keeps insurgences from progressing to a violent level and helps the government surveil its citizens. In America's current climate, there are many discontented groups of citizens, and promoting healthy ways of venting to minimize violence and insurrections.

Promote Tolerance 

Another value that I believe is very prominent today is the promotion of tolerance. This idea comes from Lee Bollinger's The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech. This value seems illogical because allowing unfettered speech may seem to promote intolerance. However, when you allow people to speak freely it allows people to understand what is right and what is wrong. When allowing citizens to speak openly, society often regulates what they say. It is not the government's job to regulate speech for its citizens.