Freedom of thought

How important is freedom of thought? Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, "Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom & no such thing as publick liberty without freedom of speech." Freedom of thought is defined as the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints1. In Chapter 2 of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, Mill addresses the issue of whether people should be allowed to limit, or eliminate, anyone’s thoughts or opinions. Earlier, in Chapter 1, Mill states there should be, “absolute freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects, practical or speculative, scientific, moral, or theological2. One of the most fundamental personal freedoms is the freedom…

Freedom of Thought In Lawrence and Lee’s composed play Inherit the Wind, the characters debate for the preferment of freedom of thought. Bertram Cates faces “fine and imprisonment” for choosing to “speak what he thinks”, and his lawyer, Drummond, is used as the voice of reason to help Cate’s dilemma (Lawrence and Lee 47). The use of Scope’s Trial is a ploy to make a mockery of the limited right to think using examples like the Bible and Darwin’s theories. Drummond shadows the underlying theme…

over falsehood, good to triumph over evil, or intelligence to overcome ignorance, then how does one know that they up hold a morally righteous position in society? John Stuart Mill, the author of “On Liberty” argues that freedom of thought, speech, and expression should be absolute no matter how immoral one’s opinion may seem. Mill states “If all of mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be…

The Party believes that if their citizens have the freedom of thought, they have the ability to change their ideas to differ that of the government; therefore, the citizens would begin disagreeing with what they have been taught to believe and think. To limit the freedom of thought, the Party has telescreens in almost every nook and cranny of the city to monitor the citizens. Not only do they listen to what they say through the telescreens, they also watch their expressions and movements. If a…

past but on the future, a world where anything and everything is possible. The world changed for the better, and people were beginning to think of ways to better themselves and society. Philosophers all believed in four views, rationality, progress, humanitarianism and freedom of thought. Freedom of thought was crucial for people as it allowed for them to break out of the previous chains holding them down, and challenge authority. This crucial concept was a major part of the novella, Candide,…

Thomas Jefferson’s Thoughts On Freedom And Equality Thomas Jefferson was one of the most influential and inspiring of the Founding Fathers. Jefferson is credited with being the author of the declaration of independence, the Third President of the United States, and for his major contributions in influencing religious freedom as well as equality and liberty rights. However there are many misconceptions on how universal Jefferson expected freedom and equality to be. Society today criticizes…

Freedom of Speech It was in 1791 that the United States transcribed the ten amendments within the Constitution. The first amendment, Freedom of Speech, is one of the most controversial laws in today’s society. It states that Congress shall make no law that reduces ones freedom of speech or freedom of press. Although there is a law in place stating such freedoms, it is not as clear and simplistic as it states. As Anthony Lewis states in his book, Freedom for the Thought that We Hate, it isn’t as…

public has no proper representation within the government. Anthony Lewis, author of the book Freedom for the Thought That We Hate, argues that judges in the past have decided how we interpret the constitution. He describes judges as being not within vacuum, and therefore their decisions regarding the constitution are impacted by the worldviews, and the society around them. Because of this, there is an emphasis of importance on who we decide should be in these positions of power as Supreme Court…

In Walter Mignolo’s reading “Epistemic Obdience, Independent Thought and De-Colonial Freedom” he says “decolonialty is called a “programmatic” of delinking from contemporary legacies of coloniality.” He says, it is a “response to needs unmet by the modern Rightist or Leftist government.” I think what he means by Epistemic Obdience is that, it is the decolonial way of thinking which recognizes and implements reason, which eliminates the strong tendency to think that Western European way of…

In the Untied States of America, the First Amendment allows individuals the right to freedom of speech, press, and religion. According to The Law of Journalism and Mass Communication, “The First Amendment to the U.S Constitution includes only 45 words. It says, congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the…