‘In a free society, there should be no restrictions on freedom of speech.’ Discuss.

Freedom of speech is essential in bringing advancements to the society by giving people the liberty
to criticize and choose its government without fear of being persecuted and silenced. In a free and
democratic society, having individual autonomy reinforces the idea that the people’s voices will be
heard and can help to shape the future of their country. Freedom of speech is a fundamental human
right protected by the Constitution of any democratic country and is the bedrock of a country’s peace
and prosperity. However, most governments will enforce some form of censorship in the name of
national security, and even big tech social media companies are given the power to censorship.

(ANTI-THESIS)
Censorship has long been a taboo due to its infringement on the freedom of speech, but it is
justifiable in the internet age where fake news poses a huge threat to the peace and harmony of a
society. (1) According to The Straits Times report in August 2021, the Singapore Government has
issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) general correction
direction to Facebook and requires it to carry out correction to a social media post alleging the
government is trying to cover up the COVID death of a 3-year-old child. This comes a day after the
government debunked another post that claimed that the Delta-plus COVID19 variant was present
in Singapore. The government’s use of censorship law to stifle falsehood or disinformation is critical
in preventing public alarm and safeguarding the peace and harmony of the society. (2) According to
report by Pew Research Centre in January 2021, 58% of American adults think that Donald Trump
should be banned from social media platforms following the rioting at U.S. Capitol on January 6. It
is thought that the former President’s posts and rhetoric have violated the terms of use and are
rightfully censored to prevent more violence from happening. Although big tech social media
companies are protected by immunity under Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, the
need for censorship to maintain the peace is justification enough to oust the former President of his
First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Hence, even in a free democratic society, the basic
rule of law dictates the necessity to restrict the freedom of speech if it was adjudged to be
detrimental to society at large.

(THESIS 1)
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right and it reinforces all other human rights thus
allowing peace and development of the modern democracy. (1) In July 4, 1776, the Declaration of
Independence was issued and thus began the American Revolution to defeat the British Crown,
establishing the United States of America, the first modern liberal democracy. The individual’s right
to free speech is referred to in the Declaration of Independence as “unalienable rights” to protect it
from government abuse. It is the First Amendment passed in1789 that eventually enshrines “the
freedom of speech, or of the press” in the U.S. Constitution allowing individuals to express
themselves without interference and constraint from the government. Freedom of speech is
therefore paramount for modern democracy to flourish. (2) In 1948 Paris, the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (UNDR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the
freedom of expression, and the dignity and rights of all human beings. This has paved the way, as
the one most important political agenda, for democracy to spread across the globe and be
recognized by most, if not all, as the right way to govern a nation. Freedom of expression is
considered to be central to a vibrant democracy. Hence, in a free society, silencing ideas that do
not align with our own only serves to prevent the exchange of ideas, self-determination and
freedom, and for this reason, there should be no restriction on freedom of speech.
 ‘In a free society, there should be no restrictions on freedom of speech.’ Discuss.

(THESIS 2)
Unrestrained communication is indispensable for a society if it aims to attain socio-political and
socio-economic stability. (1) Based on a concept popularized by Dr John Stuart Mill, freedom of
expression contributes to the “marketplace of ideas”, where allowing individuals to voice diverse and
even controversial ideas leads to desirable and vetted socio-political solutions. People no longer
need to resort to violence to get their opinions across to the governments and politicians as they are
empowered to gain influence via verbal means instead, thus helping to attain socio-political stability
in society. (2) Women contributes to around 40% of all economic activities today thanks to decades
of speeches and written works on equality by feminist Susan B. Anthony since the 1920s. Today,
women’s equity in education and workplace are widely embraced in modern democracy as it brings
about critical economic benefits. Socio-economic growth is inextricably linked to freedom of speech
as wealth comes from ideas that can only be expressed in a free society. Hence, in a free society,
there should be no restriction on freedom of speech to achieve socio-political and socio-
economic stability.

(CONCLUDE)
The nemesis between censorship and freedom of speech is both conflicting and controversial with
one side wanting to exert more control while the other side wanting to exercise more of their rights.
While freedom of speech is one of the constitutional guarantees of a liberal democracy, censorship
is the electoral mandate given to the government to impose a limitation of one’s human rights in the
name of social harmony and maintaining public order. In conclusion, in a free society, there
should never be restriction on freedom of speech, and the intrinsic values that free speech
brings to any civil society must be recognized and preserved, albeit not at the cost of societal
disintegration.

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