Freedom Of Speech And Expression Philosophy Essay

Freedom Of Speech And Expression Philosophy Es consecratecritic onlyy analyze the following statement, which is often attri saveed to Voltaire I disapprove of what you feel out, but I will defend to the finale your right to say it. All reality live in societies. In these societies rules of way argon very(prenominal) big in outrank for great deal to treat their fellow adult male beings equally. These rules of behavior are jetly called tender rights. homophile Rights are universal and gum olibanum apply to all people on the foothold of being human regardless sex, race, nationality, sexual orientation, political opinion or either different status. As Michael Douglas said Human Rights for every whiz is the necessary foundation upon which all of us whitethorn build a humans where everybody may live in peace and serenity and plenty.In this course of paper we are deviation to examine the right to foresweardom of reflectivity which has seized particular importance. Th is will be achieved by discussing a famous quotation which is usually attributed to Voltaire I may disapprove of what you say but I will fight to death for your right to say it. Through this quotation we are pass to bring in and record the importance of this valuable right in our societies. During our discussion we should forever and a day bear in mind that none of the fundamental freedoms, including freedom of chemical formula, is absolute. principal(prenominal) BodyOrigin of the quotationTo start with, although there are to a greater extent ancient precedents, freedom of typeface as it is know today has its basis from the period of profundity. One of the philosophers and political conceptualiseers of that period was Voltaire, a French thinker, who meand strongly in freedom of look and was a signifi nookyt contributor to Enlightenment movement. The well known phrase I may disapprove of what you say but I will fight to death for your right to say it is widely attributed t o him but it cannot be found in his writings. This can be easily understood since the phrase was firstly appeared in The friends of Voltaire write by Evelyn Beatrice Hall. Hall claimed that this phrase was an epitome of Voltaires attitude and that she has paraphrased Voltaires words Think for yourselves and permit former(a)(a)s enjoy the privilege to do so too, in his essay of Tolerance. foreign standardsAs indicated in the introduction, the importance of the free expression as a basic and valuable characteristic of egalitarian society cannot be underestimated. As a result the development of internationalistic human rights system which serves as a framework for freedom of expression is of particular interest. All major(ip) human rights treaties protect this right article 10 of the European practice of Human Rights, article 19 of international covenant on obliging and political rights, article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and article 9 of the African Charter o n Human and nation Rights.Freedom of Expression and its importanceAs we find seen I am using freedom of expression instead of freedom of speech since I view the latter as an umbrella that incorporates the former. Freedom of expression is wider since it includes any form of communication that is capable of conveying meaning. For example behinds including words it is utilize for pictures, images, sounds, non-verbal communication etc. As Michael Jackson said The meaning of look is contained in every single expression of life.In practice, freedom of expression serves many functions which are related to each other.First of all, a guiltless defence reaction of the right to freedom of expression is the one that John Stuart mill argued On Liberty in 1859. He give tongue to that nobody has the monopoly of right.Anyone has the right to express their views and opinions because truth is not a monopoly term. If people disagree with minoritys opinion should use counter arguments and not suppression. As it was stated in Bose Corporation v Consumers Union1freedom to speak ones mind is not further of individual liberty but in like manner essential to the common quest for truth and the spankingity of society as a whole. primarily in Europeans court of human rights eccentric person law, it has been made clear that freedom of expression is guaranteed not only with respect to popular and favorably receivable ideas or information, but also to those that offend shock or disturb.Furthermore, its vital role in ensuring democracy is undisputable and it has been recognized by scholars and judgments of international and national courts. For example In Handyside v UK2it was stated that freedom of expression in one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for the development of every man and woman. As doubting Thomas Carlyle said Every human being has the right to hear what other human beings give up spoken to him. It is one of the Rights of Men a very cruel injustice if you deny it to a man. As it was also stated in Castells v Spain3it enables everyone to participate in political which is at the amount of money of the concept of democratic society. Philosopher Alexander Meiklejohn argues that the concept of democracy is that of self-importance presidency by the people. For such a system to work an informed electorate and free flow of information and ideas is necessary. If citizens are able to exercise their rights effectively, their wishes would be interpreted into account and also tyranny, corruption and ineptitude would be restrained. This can only be achieved through open discussion, exchange of opinions in which citizens can have the prospect to consume and debate alternative ideas. Freedom of expression is all cardinal(p) at all levels in society but most important for government. A government which does not know how and what people feel and think is in dangerous position. W hen criticisms of the government are freely voiced, government has the opportunity to respond to those comments and explain its actions.Thirdly, freedom of expression is an important aspect of an individuals self fulfillment which is a desirable objective. As we all know expression is tied up with humanity since what distinguishes us from animals is the ability that we have to transport and express our feelings. So we can understand that all people mustiness(prenominal)(prenominal) have the opportunity to express their views wrong or right, in order to explore and develop their own personal identity. Otherwise we would not be able to be developed both morally and intellectually as individuals and this look like a restriction of our humanity.Summarizing all these, freedom of expression has two dimensions. It has the individual dimension of not to be prevented from manifesting ones own thinking, and the corporal right to receive any information and to hear expression of anothers thought.4As we can understand protection of free expression is meaningless if it does not also extend to ideas and opinions that are generally not acceptable. When citizens are futile to talk to each other, they will increasingly talk against each other, and soce will increasingly misunderstand and mistrust each other.5As we have seen in many cases of the European court of Human Rights it was said that defense of offensive opinions is one of the demands of pluralism, tolerance and broadmindness without which we can not talk about(predicate) democratic society. Tolerance is integral and a basic value in our societies. Protecting unpopular opinions is itself an act of tolerance. Also John Stuart Mill computer backup the idea that we must actively work against the tyranny of majority opinion. The circumstance that majority holds an opinion does not necessarily makes it to be true. For example, regarding decision-making we have to consider range of ideas, and a decision is likely to be better if it does not underestimate opinions, interests and needs of minority. Liberals like Voltaire encourage open verbal and written debate, free flow of arguments, free press, art etc. Generally they support that only through open discourse we can learn from others and also encourage others to learn from us. If we not value toleration for unpopular opinions, then we reject our right to live in a tolerant society. As Nigel Warburton said commitment to free speech involves protecting the speech that you dont insufficiency to hear as well as the speech that you do. This center that is not enough to express what you want but also not prevent others from doing so.Freedom of Expression and its limits (briefly)However its importance, right of expression may be subjected to some restrictions for respect of rights of other or other values. As figure Oliver Wendell Holmes stated free speech does not allow one to rallying cry Fire in a crowded theatre. By this he meant that appr oximate ideas are those which survive the criticisms and are allowed for further development, in contrast with forged ideas which do not survive criticisms at all.Limitations for freedom of expression may follow the harm or the criminal offence principle. John Stuart Mill introduced what is known as harm principle, stating that freedom of expression can be dependant in order to prevent harm to others. In contrast Joel Feinberg introduced offence principle, arguing that Mills harm principle does not provide commensurate protection against the wrongful behaviors of others. He suggested that some factors must be taken into account when applying his principle.Nowadays although the wording in article 10 dissever 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights and article 19 divide 3 of international covenant on civil and political rights differs, the case law has proved that limitations to freedom of expression are relatively the said(prenominal) in both articles. Although both artic les are important we are going just to see briefly the European test. Restrictions can only be applied if they meet the three-part test made by ECtHR6. Thus they must be prescribed by law, serve a specific let aim and also be necessary in a democratic society. When assessing the restrictions we must always bear in mind the test of counterweight and also each countrys margin of appreciation.ConclusionTo sum up all the above, we come to the conclusion that freedom of expression is important for the growth of our species. Our world is increasingly integrated, thus we have to be mature enough to understand that such integration comes with things that we may not want to see and with ideas, opinions and views that we may not like and may not want to hear. Based on the fact that freedom of expression is the most important ability of human beings, every person should have the right to express itself. As the Desmond ballet skirt maintained the more we recognize people as people, the more w e are recognized as people ourselves and vice versa the more we degrade other people, the more we debase ourselves further and further away from being fully human. Generally as what Noam Chomsky has stated in the twentieth century If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you dont like. Stalin and Hitler, for example, were dictators in favor of speech for views they liked only. If youre in favor of freedom of speech, that means youre in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise.7However we must know that although freedom of expression is a precious gift for people it must not exceeds its limits, thus why restrictions related to this right can be easily understood. After all the above analysis I would like to close, with the main theme of this paper I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.