Freedom of Expression/Philosophical Origins/Tradition contributions/Marxism
What have religious and philosophical traditions contributed to our understanding of this right?
Marxism
Free expression is not a central tenet of Marxism. However, Marx’s early writings display a distaste for censorship. He once wrote that “the real, radical cure for the censorship would be its abolition” (Marx 1842) . Though he strays from this topic in his later writing, he never repudiates his earlier opinions (Heinze 2018) . Heinze argues that the idea that Marxism is inherently anti-free-speech is a misconception (regardless of how some specific Marxist regimes have operated). Marx rejected some rights - property rights - because they served the interests of the wealthy and powerful. But free speech is different because it does not serve an underlying interest that Marx opposed.
Marx 1842: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1842/ 02/10.htm
Heinze 2018: http://humanityjournal.org/blog/karl-marxs-theory-of-free-speech-part-1/#_ftn5