Democratization and Free Speech
It’s 2012, and the world in which we live is going through major political changes. Dictatorship after dictatorship fall as the people in authoritarian regimes, such as Egypt and Libya, rise in a drive towards pursuing the ”good life,” a phrase associated with Aristotle in his analysis of different forms of government (Dyck, Studying Politics). Aristotle’s classification of governments (The Politics) could just as easily have been done 100 years ago, yet he did so more than 2,000 years before.
| True forms Ruled for the common good of all | Perversions Ruled for the good of private interests | |
|---|---|---|
| Rule by one | Monarchy | Tyranny Governed for the interest of the monarch only |
| Rule by few | Aristocracy | Oligarchy Governed for the interest of the wealthy only |
| Rule by many | Polity | Democracy Governed for the interests of the needy only |
Today’s observer should have no problem identifying the form of government in most states, with regimes generally falling into the category of either democratic or authoritarian governments.
In The Politics, Aristotle suggests,
Now, that man is more of a political animal than bees or any other gregarious animals is evident. Nature, as we often say, makes nothing in vain, and man is the only animal whom she has endowed with the gift of speech. And whereas mere voice is but an indication of pleasure or pain, and is therefore found in other animals (for their nature attains to the perception of pleasure and pain and the intimation of them to one another, and no further), the power of speech is intended to set forth the expedient and inexpedient, and therefore likewise the just and the unjust. And it is a characteristic of man that he alone has any sense of good and evil, of just and unjust, and the like, and the association of living beings who have this sense makes a family and a state.
Considering Aristotle’s thoughts on man’s “gift of speech,” it is easy to understand the global rising of men, and women, to claim that their voices be heard and their will to live in a just and egalitarian society be satisfied, free of oppression and tyranny, to live the “good life” as they see fit. Why now? While surely there are many factors contributing to this movement towards democratization, the evolution of technology and the viral expansion of social networking has reached nearly every corner of the world and can no longer be hidden by the governing powers that be. It’s becoming harder and harder for the most authoritarian of governments to block access to internet technology from the people. It works in both directions. What happens in one part of the world in one instant is now known to the rest of the world in a matter of minutes. Take a look at this clip from Utube:
“http://www.youtube.com/embed/npLRun8Cdm4“
Could we have witnessed this kind of event 20 years ago and at that, within mere minutes of it occurring in real time? I don’t think so! Free speech is a human right worth promoting and protecting. With our advanced technology and internet capabilities, free speech has reached into every possible nook and cranny of the planet and is no longer just available to the Western World of modern democracies. If you look at Aristotle’s quote above, you’ll see that I have highlighted ”power of speech” which I believe to include ”free speech.” Now I live in Canada and I can state this point of view without worrying about being persecuted for saying so. That IS free speech! Many of us have never lived with less than this right, but imagine for a moment if that right got taken away from us! Would we accept that? No, probably not.
Free speech, on the other hand, is not something to take for granted. In a constantly changing world, with population growing faster than the ozone layer is burning, there are voices amongst us, in our well-established democracies, who would like to silence those who speak out against their special interests and threaten their particular power in a democracy that is a little too relaxed for its own preservation. Reviewing the history of government, Aristotle’s classification is as relevant in 2012 as it was in Ancient Greece. So is protecting free speech in a society that values “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg Address, contributing to the development of a democracy that represented all people. (Dyck).
- Posted in: Canadian Politics ♦ Free Speech ♦ Politics ♦ Uncategorized
- Tagged: free speech
Excellent post! Well done!
Just a hint about embedding youtube videos in your posts.
Make sure that the code looks like this:
Reblogged this on Clouds, Clocks and Sitting at Tables and commented:
Here is an excellent post from the first blog assignment.