The Significance of Free Speech: Societal Impact and When to Restrict

This essay discusses the fundamental importance of free speech as a human right, enabling societal progress and government accountability. It acknowledges the potential negative consequences of unrestricted speech, such as hate speech and the spread of misinformation, which can lead to social unrest. The essay explores the concept of the slippery slope, where excessive freedom of speech can harm society. It also examines situations, such as national emergencies or the need to protect minority sentiments, where limiting free speech may be necessary for the greater good. The essay concludes that while freedom of expression is essential, it requires regulation to prevent misuse and ensure a peaceful, equitable society. Desklib offers more resources, including past papers and solved assignments, for students seeking academic support.

Running head: POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political Science
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1POLITICAL SCIENCE
The right to express oneself is regarded as a fundamental human right and is a broader
umbrella that covers all the essential human rights available in a society (Barbour & Wright,
2018). The freedom of speech is one such right that falls in the category and it is essential as
it allows people to voice their concerns, opinions and ideas for a better society. It is one of the
most important fundamental rights as it allows the society to change for the good and
progress rapidly.
The freedom of speech allows the people to raise their voice and initiate a change in
the society, it is to be noted that no popular human rights that are prevalent today would be
possible without the idea of free speech. Freedom of speech is a something that includes the
ability to listen to someone who is speaking, and respecting the thoughts that are voiced by
the person. A person should be respectful to both positive and negative thoughts that may
arise on any given topic. The backbone of a free society is the openness to the exchange of
ideas in the society. The notion of free speech allows individuals and groups to protect their
own morals, values, ethics and philosophies and enables them to participate in discussions on
various topics. The tyranny of the government can be avoided with the free speech as it

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enables an open communication between the government and the citizens (Barbour &
Wright, 2018).
The idea of free speech can even have negative aspects to it if someone uses it in a
wrong intention and defaming manner. The ideas that are shared by free speech can be good
and bad but the reactions that can be evoked to the bad ideas may have significant action in
the society and lead to chaos. The political rhetoric has a theory which is known as slippery
slope, it basically states that the excess of free speech can eventually let the people down and
impact negatively (Barbour & Wright, 2018). This is applicable in practice also as people
tend to overuse the freedom and lose track of what they say and in become aggressive. People
may harm the sentiments of other groups and their ideas and such action can lead to massive
unrest in the entire society. The freedom of speech that hurts others is referred to as the hate
speech, and such hate speeches are the biggest concern as people may take resort to such
practices just because they are fundamentally empowered with a right that ensure them the
freedom to voice their words. There can be situations when the government for the greater
good of the nation can cut off the liberties of the citizen and this is essential in order to
maintain peace in the country (Barbour & Wright, 2018). Sedition from the citizens on

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various platforms including the internet is an example of the instance when freedom of
speech may inversely affect the country and the government.
At times, it may be necessary to limit the freedom of speech in the country. The
freedom of speech evokes emotions which are in contradiction to the ideals that enable a state
to be peaceful and content. The freedom of speech should be regulated at times when the
situation is sensitive and people are prone to conflict in an area. The idea of free speech may
empower people at such times to flow in the sentiments, regard things emotionally, and hence
speak distaste of some group. Such practice may eventually harm the entire society as it can
disrupt the peace. In situations of emergency such as wars, riots, terrorism or political flares,
it is essential that the people do not practice any communication that leads to the transmission
of wrong information from one part to the other; such miscommunication can lead to serious
issues and unrest in the region. The aggravation to small incidents can take place with such
hate speeches and hence governmental censorship should be practiced at times when it is
unsuitable for the nation (Barbour & Wright, 2018). The hurting of minority sentiments is
another aspect that needs to be kept in mind while practicing free speech because it will be
unethical to hurt them and such intentional practice should strictly be dealt with removal of
the right to free speech and more strict actions from the authority.

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The freedom of expression is a human right which is essential but it does need
regulation. Therefore, any misuse of the right should be kept in check because a right can
only be successfully enjoyed when every person reaps benefit and it leads to no chaos in the
peaceful society. This particular right also protects the people from any kind of governmental
propaganda. Therefore, it is a powerful weapon to the citizens in a state of democracy and
allows them to speak without any fear.

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Reference
Barbour, C., & Wright, G. C. (2018). Keeping the republic: Power and citizenship in
American politics. SAGE Publishing