The Free Speech Union stands for freedom of speech, of conscience, and of intellectual enquiry, which we regard as the essential pillars of a free society—the foundational freedoms on which all others depend. We believe that human beings cannot flourish outside a free society, which means they cannot flourish in the absence of free speech. Free speech is how knowledge is developed and shared, as well as our views about morality, religion and politics. Robust debate—appealing to reason, evidence and our shared values—is also the best way to resolve disagreements about issues big and small without descending to violence or intimidation. The Free Speech Union believes that if society doesn’t uphold the right to express controversial, eccentric, heretical, provocative or unwelcome opinions, then it doesn’t uphold free speech. As George Orwell put it, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”