Which Value of Free Expression is The Most Important?

The rights of an American are unparalleled to the rights of citizens within most other countries in the world. Although, one thing that stands out and allows our nation to be as free as it is, is the First Amendment. This important aspect of American society allows citizens to criticize the government, practice any religion they deem fit, etc without prior restraint. Something else that stands out are the Eight Values of Free Expression. They are all important in their own unique ways, but after talking to Sasha, we came to the unanimous decision that the first one is unequivocally the most important. It is called the "Discovery of Truth", which is modeled after John Milton's marketplace of ideas.

This idea says that when good and bad, or truth and lies, are all on the table from two different sides, the good and the truth will ultimately win out. This allows for all ideas to be stated, whether they be good or bad, and people are free to argue over them based upon where their morals lie. For example, this article from Digital Trends talks about the new AirPods that Apple will be releasing to the public soon. However, the writer believes that the upgrades and advancements that have been made are simply not good enough. He thinks that after a three year period, there should be more done to these headphones than offering more than one color and making them sweat proof. This is a perfect example of how the First Value of Free Expression is used. He is starting a debate on wether the AirPods should be further advanced, or if the advancements already made are substantial enough to make consumers feel good about buying this product. Readers of the article are welcome to voice their opinions in the comments section of the article which allows for some give and take for both parties. No straight answer will come out of this, but, due to these American citizens being able to express their ideas without prior restraint, everyone who is involved will have their voice heard.

Sasha and I also talked about the idea that without the first value you cannot have the other seven. In other words, the First Value of Free Expression is the base for which the other seven were created on and rely on. A perfect example comes from the second one, which is Participation in Self-Government. When it comes to election time, citizens want to be well educated about the candidates that are up for office. One of the best and easiest ways to get to know them is through debates, maybe two or three. It is here that the candidates can argue against each others view points and make it clear how they will make the office that they are running for better than it currently is. Then, the citizens are going to go vote, having being more educated on the topic. This is just one example, but the same argument can be made for the rest of the Values of Free Expression.