Policy Adviser: Freedom of speech is not only a basic human right; it is also the only rational policy for this gover...

shunhe May 31, 2020

Hi @Claudia-Frankel,

Thanks for the question! So let’s take a look at what the policy adviser is telling us. We’re told that freedom of speech isn’t just a basic human right, it’s a rational policy because it helps good ideas spread and it helps stop bad ideas.

Now we’re asked to find the policy adviser’s method of persuasion. (B) tells us that the policy adviser advocates respect for basic rights of citizens for its own sake. This would be something like “we need to respect citizens’ basic rights, because they are rights and ought to be respected because of their inherent nature as rights.” But this isn’t what the policy adviser does. The policy adviser is making an argument based on the practical utility of having freedom of speech (promoting good ideas, stopping bad ideas). So (B) isn’t the correct answer and (C) is much closer, since the policy adviser couples the moral ideals of basic human rights with the self interest of the state in stopping dangerous ideas and promoting good ones.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.

bcross June 20, 2020

This explanation helped me. When I chose B, I thought it meant for the government's own sake, not the sake of the human right. How should I approach this in the future, so I don't make the same mistake?