The Pros And Cons Of Banning Books

So, the question asks, “is there ever a place in a representative democracy for suppression of works based on prescribed ideas/ideology?” Knowing me and how I feel and have argued about potentially banning books in the past, one would think my answer would be a simple yes. My answer is a simple one though it is not yes. When asked if governments should be able to ban a book, and that is what the question is asking, if a government should be able to ban a book based purely on ideology my response is a clear and resounding NO! While I have argued, successfully I might add, that it should be alright to ban materials that could lead to the harm of human life. I cited the Anarchist Cookbook which among other things teaches the reader how to make Improvised Explosive Devices and LSD out of household items. One would argue that these things can be found on the internet and I say fine, let people find it there. No money should be made from the sale of these materials. …show more content…
It is a complete and utter overreach of power. A good example here would be something that happened last year in Arkansas. In 2017, a Republican lawmaker in Arkansas introduced a bill which called for the banning of all books from liberal author Howard Zinn including his book “A Peoples History of the United States,” from state classrooms. The bill was voted down a month later. It was not the first-time politicians tried to remove Zinn from the classroom, Indiana tried a few years earlier, unsuccessfully, and undoubtedly the attempt will be made again and again until