Blog #3 Speech Theories

 The First Amendment gives us the freedom of speech which is a huge blessing that many American citizens take for granted every day. Along with this freedom of speech come eight different speech theories that flesh out why this freedom is so important.

The first theory is the marketplace of ideas. This is the Supreme Court’s favorite theory. We need to be able to express our ideas freely so that we can exchange ideas and thoughts with others. It directly opposes the idea of prior restraint. When prior restraint occurs, this is called a marketplace failure. 

The next theory is participation in self-government. This theory revolves around the necessity and importance of citizens being able to engage in dialogue and conversations with the government and express their thoughts and opinions. 

The next theory is the idea of stable change, which explains how it is actually in the government’s best interest to let the public criticize it and express their anger verbally. This allows the people to vent without everything building up inside them until mass chaos inevitably ensues. 

Up next is individual self-fulfillment, which is all about protecting citizens' right to think and speak for themselves. 

Another theory is called a check on government power. This relates back to the idea of vertical checks and balances--the idea that the public should participate in keeping the government’s power in check. 

The next theory is about promoting tolerance.This touches on the fact that we don’t need specific laws that prohibit people from saying derogatory things because society will handle that on its own. This goes back to the concept of subsequent punishment. 

Promoting innovation is the next theory, which is all about the importance of letting people speak and express themselves, as this promotes creativity which will lead to new innovations. 

The final theory is about protecting dissent (aka minority views). The idea here is that even people who don’t agree with the majority of society still have just as much of a right to express their ideas as anyone else.

For me, three of these theories in particular stick out to me. The first of these is the marketplace of ideas. This is extremely important for our society to flourish. By being able to throw ideas out into the world, it allows for others to build off of those ideas and revise them, add to them, make them better, and make them stronger.

The next theory that jumped out of me is about promoting innovation, and this ties back into the previous theory I was just discussing--the marketplace of ideas. Freedom of speech promotes creativity which then lends itself to innovation. But creativity and innovation often works best when collaboration occurs. A marketplace of ideas that allows for various thoughts and opinions to be exchanged facilitates collaboration.

The final theory that stuck out to me is the idea of promoting dissent. The America we live in today is full of hostile disagreements which often leads to censorship--especially for those who are a part of the minority view. However, censorship goes against our first amendment right to freedom of speech. The first amendment is most important for people who don’t agree with the majority, as it allows them to get their opinion out into a sea of differing and opposing thoughts. 

All of these theories are important and helpful in our understanding of our right to freedom of speech in America!