Why is Free Speech Important?

4 minute lecture on the question of importance of free speech in a free society.
A free society depends on exchanging new ideas, regardless of their potential capability of offending someone.
Without the open exchange of ideas, our current understanding of the world would be unrecognisable and entirely false.
Everything we know about the world— from the age of our civilisation and species to the laws that govern energy and the complex workings of the body & brain — has come into being first by free speech, nurtured by the innovation of ideas, and curated into our collective knowledge if deemed worthwhile after withstanding the test of time.

The views expressed in the article are the author’s and are not necessarily shared by the members of the Foundation.

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