GMAT Essays (AWA)

Prompt: "Without new ideas, any society will stagnate. New ideas can only be introduced in a society that permits freedom of expression. Therefore, if a society is to thrive, all limits on freedom of expression should be eliminated." Assignment: Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

I absolutely agree with the statement aforementioned.
Numerous examples in recent history can show us how important is freedom of speech in the development of societies.

Let's take a look to the recent past. In the decade of 1960, the world suffered the cold war, precisely due to the opposing views over an economic system of the two major super-powers in the world. United States apart from capitalism, promoted freedom of speech and of thought among its citizens as a way to point out the relevance of the individual person in the society. Every individual person had the right to say whatever they wanted, and so America became an inmense attractor to brilliant minds from elsewhere in the world. On the contrary, the Soviet Union defended socialist ideals, where the individual was left out in favour of the "common interest" that was always defined by the ruling communist party. People were not able to express themselves freely, nor they were allowed to publish newspapers or to state their opinions if they were opposite to those of the ruling regime. Results?, a legacy of a broken economy that took 10 years to recover to the levels of the eighties and a myriad of deserters to US and Western Europe.

In the eighteenth century a similar case occured, between two rival countries, United Kingdom, a country without colonies at that time, that embraced freedom of expression as well as some other capitalist liberties and Spain, an hegemonic country with huge resources from its colonies in South America, but that was facing internal religious repression and witch-hunting. Paralelism is evident, while UK attracted citizens from other countries, happy to be able to express their ideas in the relaxed british society, Spain was occupied in pursuing descendants of Jews and Moors, that had been expelled some centuries ago, as well as checking the true catholic roman fate of its habitants. As a result of these policies Spain fell back into a gloomy period, while UK obtained the prevalence as larger trader and economic power at that time.

Generally speaking, freedom of expression is connected to liberalism which only brings benefits.

We can trace similar findings in smaller communities. Let's observe the example of gay marriage, another way of freedom of expression, in this case of sexual expression. Certain states of North America (Massachussetts) allow gay marriage, as well as some european countries, like Netherlands or Spain. Studies have shown of there has been in a very few years a "brain drain" from conservative states or countries to these more liberal ones. Therefore, the liberal countries and states are receiving the best brains (in this case the gay ones) that are free to express themselves in their new countries.

Thus, connections are evident between freedom and development. Only some types of forms of expression, like those supporting nazism or crime need to be controlled and restricted. For the rest, the more free, the better.

You could have explained more on how freedom of expression helps society. Why freedom of expression is important is not clear from your essay. However, your examples are very good and you have very good command over the languages.

I'll give you 5