Information as the means of free thought

“The same is true of the right to information as of all other rights: its legitimate content must be defined in terms of real needs,” wrote the French philosopher René Maheu (1905-1975), adding: “Conditionally, of course, on the word 'needs' being understood to mean the needs of human development, and not of self-interest or passion.” This is an excerpt of his contribution to UNESCO’s survey on the philosophical foundations of human rights, which he submitted on 30 June 1947, under the title “Right to Information and to the Expression of Opinion”.