Our freedom of speech is
one of the most foundational aspects of American history and the American
experience at large. The benefits that come from maintaining the right to speak
one’s mind and verbally express how they feel without facing consequences from
the government are bountiful and can reach every American. These values of free
expression include a more stable society, better participation in
self-government, and being able to check governmental power so rights are not
being infringed upon via totalitarian governments. However, the most
underrated, if not most important, value of free expression that touches on the
human experience at large is individual self-fulfillment.
As a theory of free
expression, individual self-fulfillment suggests that freedom of speech is a
value because it allows individuals to discover what they believe in, who they
align themselves with (politically or non-politically), and who they are as overall.
In other words, free speech helps people reach a point of satisfaction with
their own lives.
This is also known as the
“Self-actualization” theory. This psychological theory, created by Abraham
Maslow, believes that people are able to grow to find satisfaction at the
highest levels of their needs. Most notably, substantial meaning with their own
lives. Maslow created a hierarchy of human needs, created in a pyramid format
to highlight human growth. The basics included food, drink, oxygen, as it went
past safety, love, and self-positivity, it reaches the meaning of life. Once one
reached their meaning in life, they would achieve “self-actualization”, with
experience of self-fulfillment and self-appreciation.
This theory and value of
free expression differs greatly from its original complications on individuals
interacting with government, as well as being able to discover the truth. As
Rodney A Smolla puts it from UScivilliberties.org,
these values of free expression are concepts for the “common good.” They are
built to serve and hold together the unity of American people as one entity,
thereby protecting the rights and motives of the people. Now, contrast this
with the self-fulfillment, which is meant to protect an individual’s human
dignity and identity. Discovery of truth and protection from the government may
be the central intentions free speech values, and they may be more widely
applied today, but it does cause the importance of the theory of individual
self-fulfillment on human dignity and human individuality to be overlooked.
I believe Individual
self-fulfillment is so important when considering the values of free speech
because it ties free speech to human autonomy and dignity. It enables and
confirms the natural human ability to think and act for themselves, not based
on anybody, or anything, else. Freedom of speech is directly related to human capacity
for thought and knowledge. Individuals need to be able to access and utilize
the basic human convention of thought without intervention so we can be sure
that we can separate our individuality from groups we align ourselves with,
which is a vital reason to protect freedom from powerful, and influential
governments who can influence others. The supreme court has even supported this
theory in a way by saying that, freedom of speech supports human spirit in need
of “self-expression” in Procunier v Martinez (Smolla). This is why I chose this value, because I believe that without
self-fulfillment, how can we be fully sure that we are truly human, or at least
operating at full human capacity. It might not be the most important value of
free expression, but the value of individual self-fulfillment is central to the
human construct and is an underrated reason why the freedom of expression needs
to be protected for individual right.
Here's a video on Maslow's Self-Actualization to learn more:
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