The Eight Values of Free Expression

One of the things our great nation prides itself on is the value of Free Expression. It is, after all, the first amendment in the Constitution. 8 key theories of Free Expression are listed as follows. Marketplace of ideas, Participation in self-government, Stable Change, Individual self-fulfillment, Check on governmental power, Promote tolerance, Promote innovation, and Protect dissent. All of these are important to the value of Free expression, but what is the most important and relevant one to our society? 

The theory of Protect Dissent stands out the most to me. The theory was developed by renowned jurist and author Steve Shiffrin, who recently passed away in May of 2023. He was a strong thinker, writing books like What's Wrong with the First Amendment and Dissent, Injustice, and the Meanings of America. This theory originates from the second title, and I strongly believe in it and find it crucial to my value of Free Expression, as well as every individual in America. This theory discusses the protection of each individual's speech and how important it is to be able to voice disagreeing opinions to each other and the government. In 2025, Social Media is one of the most common forms of communication, allowing people to comment on just about any social issue they want, whenever they want. These platforms are strong examples of the importance of this theory. Without the protection of dissent, there is a risk that society could become conformant, the protection of dissent allows the growth of our American Ideals that the country itself was founded upon. This shows us that disagreement is not something that should be feared, but something that should be embraced to protect our democracy. To summarize, this theory is crucial because it allows free expression to remain a right for each individual American, not a select few. 

Another theory that stands out to me, is Promote Tolerance. This theory was developed by Lee Bollinger, a former president of Columbia University and Attorney. On top of this, he has authored multiple books as well. The Promote Tolerance theory is found in The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech. The theory discusses, well, Tolerance of differing opinions. It discusses that a tolerant society is simply better. Simply, I agree. A society that can tolerate discomfort would be stronger, and able to grow more. Discussing uncomfortable things with different individuals can broaden your perspective on societal issues while helping you learn about different viewpoints. This allows for people to engage in civil discussion to improve these societal issues, and allows each person to be heard. Without tolerance, free expression would be masked by saying what is agreed upon or considered tolerable creating the inability to move forward as a society. It would incite fear into people to stay conformed and not be the unique individual Americans they are supposed to be. These are crucial reasons for why this is one of the most important values of free expression as no societal progress could be made without Tolerance. This is without a doubt one of the most important, if not the most important value of Free Expression.