The Eight Speech Theories

Having the freedom of speech is crucial for a democratic government to function and grow as times change. There are many different benefits of free speech, but all of them can be grouped into eight overarching theories.

The Theories

The first theory is that freedom of speech leads to a marketplace of ideas. This is the belief that the the truthfulness of any idea depends on the quality of it's competing ideas. If ideas are censored, then the rest of the ideas may not be testable for whether they are true or right. The next theory is participation in self government. This means that people must be able to communicate their ideas so that they can actively participate in the government. Another theory is the idea of stable change. Meaning if people are allowed to vent their thoughts and frustrations they are less likely to resort to violence and thus society will be more stable. Along the same lines is the idea of individual self-fulfillment. This is when people are given the opportunity to speak their opinions it allows them to create their own identity and have a sense of belonging with like-minded people. A very important theory is that free speech creates a check on governmental power. Without the ability to challenge the government, the government would remain stagnant and could be making the wrong decisions. Free speech also promotes tolerance. Letting people say what they want legally, but allowing society to set the rules for what is okay to say and what is wrong. Free speech also promotes innovation, allowing people to freely speak their ideas and build on others ideas to create even better ones. The last idea of free speech is that it protects dissent. This allows people, no matter how few of them feel that way, to advocate for their opinions regardless of what is the most common opinion.

In Practice

In the political landscape today, the biggest argument about free speech is basically the Trump Organization as a whole. Any recent news article could be used as an example for the eight theories, however, I chose to look at the recent capitol riot as a good example. A specific article with good information on the situation is  NPR's article from February 2nd. This situation is a very relevant way to look at how free speech shapes the country. It shows participation in self government, regular people getting involved and showing their political opinions. It's also an example of individual self-fulfillment, creating two distinct groups that people can identify with. However, I think this is the biggest negative of free speech right now. Your political opinions are a part of who you are but most people think it is the most important part and will actively argue with anyone who does not agree with them. The same goes for the theory on promoting tolerance, today free speech does nothing for that. Free speech only incites violence and intolerance now. Although it is obviously still an important freedom, there needs to be some changes as a society for it to be effective and beneficial again. People have to learn as a whole that just because someone does not agree with you does not mean that they are wrong, just different. However, this change will be very difficult to enact. Highlighting differences of opinions and fighting over them has become so engrained in our every day life that I don't know if it will ever change. The best way for free speech to be as effective as it can is to emphasize promoting tolerance among the public.