8 values of free expression

 The freedom of speech, which as we know is one of the principles found in the First Amendment, has 8 core values of free expression. The marketplace of ideas, participation of self government, stable change, individual fulfillment, Check on government power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect dissent. The marketplace of ideas is this observation that John Milton had considering if the truth and lies where to be freely grappled (engaged in a close fight), than the truth would always win. This is super interesting to me because we know that Gods principles that can be found in the bible are the truth. Milton is saying that the truth will always defeat the lies that might be formed by the world. 

The participation of self government explains how we the people of the U.S. would not be informed well enough to vote to their full knowledge of what they believe in if they are not properly informed. basically, it provides a properly informed electorate involved in a debate. Alexander Meiklejohn explains how free speech and its relation to self government is absolutely vital. Stable change is the practice of allowing citizens to speak on whats on their mind in order to keep them a more peaceful body of Americans. This allows people to not store things up and out of an impulsive decision act in a manner of violence. This goes hand in hand with our first amendment right for the people to peaceably assemble.

The ability to possess individual self-fulfillment is the action in which we are able to have our own identities where we can live by specific principles that make us who we are. The ability to live free spirited and make our own decisions in correlation to what is best for us as individuals. Moving on to the 5th value of free expression, the ability to check on government power. It is not our right, but our duty as U.S. citizens to, along with the press, be apart of the checks-and-balance system to keep the government from becoming too powerful. We do not want any form of dictatorship, that is why this is a free country. 

Promoting tolerance goes hand in hand with how the first amendment now protects hate speech because we as a nation have the ability to grow through painful situations especially regarding the relationships around us. Promoting tolerance regarding hate speech helps us become more tolerant in other aspects of life, which means at the end of the day we are growing as a nation because of it. The 7th value of expression is the promotion of innovation. This value envisions the idea that if we are a nation that practices the freedom of speech, then we will be more likely to be free'd up in the mind enough to come up with new ideas and receive more energy and self motivation to be innovative.

 Protect dissent is the last value of expression which explains how we have not the right, but the duty to criticize and disagree with the government. This shows that the government wants all citizens to experience freedom unlike any other nation, and actually encourages us to do quite the opposite of other countries that possess a dictating government. 

I believe that the 8 values of free expression is very important because it goes in to more depth of what our first amendment hits on especially regarding the freedom of speech. I believe all 8 are very important, but I believe that the first one which is the marketplace of ideas is the most important. People can take advantage of freedom when they start re-identifying what the truth is. The truth will always rise to the top, and although we are a free country, we need to realize that there is an overall truth and an over all lie. At what point do we draw the line?

https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/commercial-speech-values-free-expression