Is the Right to Free Speech More Important Than the Right to Live?

Question by Serious Business: Is the Right to Free Speech more important than the Right to Live?
What about the right to accomodation, heating in the winter, food, education, a fair wage, access to doctors, access to clean drinking water?

Is the right to Free Speech more important than the right to basic living conditions? Or is that too much to ask?
Erin Gamer: so you’re saying there’s no point in encouraging equality? Wasn’t that the principle on which America was founded – Justice, Equality for all?

I understand your argument. But this has been tried before. It’s not ethical, practical, or even remotely workable.
Gina P: Hardly pure socialist states – we’re talking about the UN. I know, that’s outside the USA, you probably don’t know a lot about that kind of thing.

Best answer:

Answer by Nomo
They are one in the same.

Only a conservative could ask such a question.

Answer by coragryph
Yes, free speech is more important than all of those.

Let’s ignore the fact that people have voluntarily given up heat, comfort, and even their lives in defense of those freedoms.

Without the free exchange of ideas, we become a tyranny and everyone is enslaved to whoever controls the information. And for many many people, living (or dying) free is more important than being comfortable.

Elderly Depression –