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Freedom of Speech by Jari I. Niemi Overview SETTING THE STAGE: QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT Why is freedom of speech important? What would be lost if our freedom to speech was severely restricted? To whom is the freedom of speech important? Is it important only to the individuals exercising it, or is it also somehow important to societies in general? What sorts of expressions, if any, should be restricted? How is freedom of speech important specifically to democratic societies, such as the United States? INTRODUCTION This module is designed to provide a critical understanding of one of the fundamental values in our society: freedom of speech. It is arguable that freedom of speech is the most fundamental of all the freedoms catalogued in the First Amendment. The right to assembly, for example, is hardly conceivable without freedom of speech. The importance and the value of this freedom should be understood and explained at the high school level. While it is perhaps true that we all value freedom of speech, it is much more difficult to explain why we value it. When explanations are offered, they are usually limited to explaining that we value freedom of speech because we value freedom. In this way, freedom of speech is seen as a part of a more general, cherished value of freedom. What we might want to know is, however, besides the value we place on freedom in general, is there anything special about valuing freedom of speech in particular? Therefore, the fundamental issue addressed in this module is: Why is freedom of speech valuable?

Freedom of Speech

by Jari I. Niemi

Overview

SETTING THE STAGE: QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT
Why is freedom of speech important?
What would be lost if our freedom to speech was severely restricted?
To whom is the freedom of speech important?
Is it important only to the individuals exercising it, or is it also somehow important to societies in general?
What sorts of expressions, if any, should be restricted?
How is freedom of speech important specifically to democratic societies, such as the United States?

INTRODUCTION

This module is designed to provide a critical understanding of one of the fundamental values in our society: freedom of speech. It is arguable that freedom of speech is the most fundamental of all the freedoms catalogued in the First Amendment. The right to assembly, for example, is hardly conceivable without freedom of speech. The importance and the value of this freedom should be understood and explained at the high school level.

While it is perhaps true that we all value freedom of speech, it is much more difficult to explain why we value it. When explanations are offered, they are usually limited to explaining that we value freedom of speech because we value freedom. In this way, freedom of speech is seen as a part of a more general, cherished value of freedom. What we might want to know is, however, besides the value we place on freedom in general, is there anything special about valuing freedom of speech in particular? Therefore, the fundamental issue addressed in this module is: Why is freedom of speech valuable?