How Important is Freedom of Speech?

 

How Important is Freedom of Speech?

• Can we have public liberty without Freedom of Speech?
• New York State has passed a law coercing social media companies to act as censors for the state.
• Rumble Canada Inc. and Locals Technology Inc. have filed suit in federal court to defend Free Speech.

In 1722, under the name Silence Dogood, Benjamin Franklin wrote:

Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as publick Liberty, without Freedom of Speech;

Silence Dogood, No. 8, 9 July 1722

Why is freedom of speech so important? As Mr. Franklin stated, there is no such thing as publick liberty without it, but what does that mean? Yes, without freedom of speech, people cannot express themselves, but there’s more. Without freedom of speech, we would never be exposed to contradictory ideas, and we would never grow. The basis of the scientific method is the testing of contradictory ideas. So if freedom of speech is so important, why do people keep trying to shut it down? Take New York State’s “Online Hate Speech Law”. Why is the State of New York attempting to get social media networks to act as government censors for them?

Does Free Speech Offend You?

Should offensive speech be banned? Where should we, as a society, draw the line where permitted speech is on one side, and forbidden speech is on the other? Should we even have that line? And should free speech to be limited by things like trigger warnings and punishments for microaggressions? Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, answers these questions and more.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS YOURS TO PROTECT AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE

“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

by John Adams