In defense of freedom of expression

Abstract

This article searches to demonstrate that human culture is characterized by the confrontation between individuals’ subjectivity and the collective culture to which we belong. This opposition is strained as that society becomes more diverse and complex, witnessing the emergence of censorship mechanisms. Through them, we seek to silence all opposition to a particular way of interpreting the world trying to gain hegemony in society. This article is a result of research conducted at the Observatory of Communication, Freedom of Expression and Censorship, of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (OBCOM-USP), which studies contemporary and classical processes of censorship and defends freedom of expression as an ethical value which has become increasingly important throughout history.