Most Important Value of Free Expression

Discovery of Truth

In the United States there are eight values of free expression: discovery of truth, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on governmental power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and promote dissent. All of these values are necessary to the representative democracy of the nation, however, there is one that rises above the rest. Through my discussion with Nick during class, we came to the conclusion that the discovery of truth is the most important value of free expression. The discovery of truth is best explained as the “marketplace of ideas”, which John Milton first talked about in his book, Areopagitica. The basis behind the marketplace of ideas is we want all ideas put out on the table so we can sort through them and see which are the best. We want different ideas to fight and grapple with each other so the better ideas can rise to the top, and the better ideas have faced criticism. The truth will always rise to the top.

The discovery of truth is essential because it is the foundation for many of the other values of freedom. The United States is remarkably different from other nations because we have the ability to speak freely on any topic unless we are inciting violence. We have the ability to talk however we want about the government and not be punished, this is not true for many other nations. Without the discovery of truth, there would be no stable change. Stable change is brought about by the first value, discovery of truth. People given the ability to talk about their disagreements are more likely to have a dialogue with each other, rather than a debate which could result in violence. It would be almost impossible to participate in self-government if the topics on which candidate could speak were limited. An election is a hotspot for an emphasized marketplace of ideas in which different candidates grapple with each other's ideas and then it is up to the individual citizens of the US to decide which stance is the best.

According to the fifth value, which is the check on governmental power, we as individuals, have the patriotic duty to place checks and balances on the government at the state and federal level. However, without the ability to get all of the ideas, good and bad out, it would be difficult to decide which abuses of government should be condemned. The marketplace of ideas ties into every other value and therefore is the most important value of free expression in the United States.