ABSTRACT
Freedom of Speech is widely held to be a moral right and almost as widely recognized as a legal right. It was defended by John Milton in the 17th century and enshrined in the Constitution of the United States in 1791 as part of the First Amendment. Some form of recognition of freedom of speech is expressed in almost every modern constitution and international protocol regarding human rights. There are numerous theories regarding the justification(s) for freedom of speech. Each theory produces a different conception of what freedom of speech encompasses and when it is violated. In this chapter, the author lumps the theories into four broad groupings, which include consequentialist theories, democratic theories, deontological theories, and other theories of proscribed government motives. There are other values besides Truth that freedom of speech might advance. These values are various; they include individual self-rule, individual self-development, and political self-rule.
