The Pros And Cons Of Freedom Of Speech - 1007 Words

It is widely accepted that free speech is not an absolute right to all speech, at all times. This is impossible because one individual’s freedom of speech will necessarily impose limitations upon another individual’s freedom of speech. To give a very basic example, let us use a town hall meeting analogy, in which an individual’s speech must sometimes be stopped, or they may be ‘denied the floor’, in order to allow others to speak and allow the conversation to progress. What we must therefore turn our attention to is when and how speech can be regulated, within the paradigms of freedom of speech. In this essay, I will explore if it is ever permissible to ban offensive publications that are not expressions of hate speech, and if so, when it†¦show more content†¦However, I will examine both paradigms in this essay, as such a discussion could not be complete without doing so. John Stuart Mill proposed in On Liberty that the only time an individual’s liberty may be interfered with and that ‘power can rightfully be exercised over’ them against their will, is to prevent harm to others. It is not enough to justify a certain law or opinion as a coercive force simply because it is believed to uphold proper morals, or is for an individual’s own good; coercion by the many toward the individual is only acceptable when an individual presents a threat to others. Although it is acceptable (and even beneficial) to argue with a person about his actions, it is not acceptable to control his actions. Mill writes, ‘over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.’ Mill argues with regards to freedom of speech that we should not adjudicate on moral issues for all people or disallow others the opportunity making their own judgments, because to do so would be to make the assumption of our own infallibility. The biggest danger to liberty of opinion comes from people’s confidence in their own righteousness, or in the infallibility of the world they have contact with. Such confidence cannot be justified, as all humans are fallible, and therefore silencing speech has a negative effect on society, as potential truths may be suppressed. Therefore, in order to determine if it is ever permissible to ban offensiveShow MoreRelatedImportance Of Censorship In Society1406 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent opinions on it, but when used properly, censorship absolutely has a place in society. Censorship, at it’s core, has been around for a few hundred years, dating back to the 1700’s. Censorship can be confusing but the First Amendment gives us free speech. This Amendment basically defines the United States as a nation (Bishop Ke). â€Å"Despite the First Amendment, the federal government has also censored the press at various points in United States history, especially during war time.† (usagu.com) DatingRead MoreHistory Of The Preval Of Prayer In Public Education1538 Words   |  7 Pagesthe statistical analysis which illustrates Americas public schools it reveals that the removal of prayer from our nations schools since June 25, 1962, has violated 39 million students the freedom of choice to acknowledge a higher power. While exploring history, it reaffirms the thoughts of John F. Kennedy speech which includes, his thought that he believes in an America which is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish. 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Zenger s defense attorney Andrew Hamilton gave his famous speech, in which he said, nature and the laws of our country have given us a right to liberty of both exposing and opposing arbitrary power (in these parts of the world at least) by speaking and writing truth.. This influenced freedom of the press rights and embracing those rights to the constitution (Linder). Recently the issue of Censorship of the Internet in AmericaRead MorePros And Cons Of Facebook987 Words   |  4 Pagessite, comes with its own pros and cons. Facebook though is an enemy to society and single handedly controls the lives of many people. Now, despise what I believe let’s look at some of the ways Facebook can be useful, and a positive experience. Making connections is what Facebook was built off of, originally created so a small group of friends could communicate. Today Facebook allows people all around the world to communicate with friends and relative. The Pros and Cons (2016). 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Thus if one views infringement of liberty by the definitions set through the harm and offense principle, it is clear that the interest of a civil society is to protect freedom of speech not to block or regulateRead MoreEssay about Cyber Bullying and Hate Speech1161 Words   |  5 Pages Free speech is both a universal and national liberty. The United Nations and the United States of America believe that free speech is something that humans should be allowed to exercise. However, each respective group has their own limitations. These limitation, although broad, protect against free speech being taken too far. Like any liberty or privilege there must be a line in the sand to keep extremists from aggressively using and abusing this right. The United Nations formed The UniversalRead MoreInternet Censorship Of China, South Africa And Other Countries1851 Words   |  8 Pagespornography is allowed but not another). This paper will show why Internet censorship can be interpreted in both positive and negative ways depending on the perspective that one adopts (whether one is pro-Statist or anti-Statist). In short, pros and cons depend wholly upon one’s worldview and outlook. The first pro may be, as Lorentzen (2014) notes, that â€Å"a partial censorship strategy† is an effective way for governments to control the levels of discontent in their respective countries (p. 405). LorentzenRead MorePersuasive Speech On School Dress Code1316 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Congress shall make no law... prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech...†. This is what our first amendment speaks about. The freedom of speech and expression. Schools have been violating this law in the place of school dress codes. There should not be a dress code in school because it violates the first amendment, they do not support creativity and they are expensive. Dress codes violate the first amendment. Students should have the ability to express themselves