The Importance of Free Speech

If a society is to be free from the tyranny of the majority, says John Stuart Mill, we must not discriminate against one another based on their honestly held convictions. What it means to be free is that there are no unjust punishments for holding unpopular opinions. There's a difference between someone's views that directly impedes their job and a view that's just, well, I really don't like that view. If you are a medical provider and you swear to uphold that you are going to provide medical care to all human beings, but you don't believe that say Asian people are human beings, then you probably shouldn't work in the healthcare industry.