“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” Comment.

Approach

• Discuss freedom of expression as innate right

• Discuss how laws help in securing freedom of expression

• Also, discuss how tolerance strengthen the moral fabric of society

Ans:

• Freedom of expression is right to express one's ideas and opinions freely through speech, writing, and other forms of communication but without deliberately causing harm to others' character and/or reputation by false or misleading statements. So, freedom of expression is general right, which a human being gains by birth. It proclaims the universal declaration of human rights. Laws help in getting and securing freedom of expression.

• According to law, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek and receive impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

• Laws are not ends in themselves but means that are primarily intended to allow individuals to exercise the freedom they are born with. Respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of each and every individual human being are the hallmark of any modern, civilised and truly democratic society. Moreover, the health of a society may also be gauged by how seriously individuals take their duty to respect the rights of others.

• Man as rational being desires to do many things, but in a civil society his desires have to be controlled, regulated and reconciled with the exercise of similar desires by other individuals. The guarantee of each of the above right is, therefore, restricted by the Constitution in the larger interest of the community. The right to freedom of speech and expression is subject to limitations imposed under Article 19(2).

• Moreover, the accuracy to freedom of expression holds the views and personal opinions correctly. It is the right that must be promoted to the maximum extent possible when governed by its critical values in democracy and public participation in the political life. But there are some extreme types of expression which needs to be checked for the fortification of the other person’s rights. But limiting the freedom of expression in some situations is always a cheap balancing procedure to control. One particular form of expression which is blocked by law is the “Hate speech”. Clearly in such cases , tolerance towards other cultures is needed and should be practiced.  

• According to  Albert Einstein,Freedom of expression can’t be secured by law alone i.e, everyone has to be responsible by themselves. Laws are the general rules made by us to keep ourselves in control. To maintain this we need to be aware of what laws say.

• In any country, laws alone normally will not be able to secure people's opinions unless people get more careful to secure it by themselves. To do that we need to cultivate strong attitude to make ourselves more educated and tolerant to others opinion. If we can do that then it will be easier for us to secure our freedom of expression and opinion. Also we will be able to tolerate others’ opinion.