Milton & The Marketplace of Ideas (KEY POST Week 11)

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In 1644 the English author, John Milton, wrote a pamphlet that was controversial at the time and had it sent to the Parliament of England. In the pamphlet Milton expresses his strong opinions regarding censorship and limiting speech, for which he was not a fan. Although this piece was written by Milton centuries ago, its message is still relevant in 2020. Milton was certainly ahead of his time as he already understood the vital importance of diversity of opinion, as well as the benefits that a marketplace of ideas can bring to a society. These are especially important aspects within a democracy. However, even in modern-day America, there are still efforts to shield the public from certain opinions or silence certain voices. This occurs in the realms of politics, journalism, and social media, and is not unique to any one group, political party, or ideology.

Milton believed that the public should be trusted to view, process, and react to information on their own behalf. He believed that it was much better to allow people the liberty to view both sides of an argument even if one of those sides is wrong. And he believed that in most cases, when people are presented with multiple different points of view, the truth will win in the end. These three beliefs are crucial. When you shield a society from certain opinions through censorship, frankly, you are doubting the the intelligence and decision making skills of the society, and this is a slippery slope. If you cannot trust a society to view diverse opinions and make the correct decisions for themselves, then how can you trust that same society to vote in elections? Or to make a number of other democratic choices that involve their judgement.

Additionally, people do not want to be spoon fed information that is deemed "safe for consumption" by the television media, the government, or journalists. And the more educated and independent a society becomes, the more true this is. People want to be presented with facts and then they want to make what they believe is the correct decision. This freedom places more responsibility on the individual, but is such an important part of our nation. Diversity of thought and a vast marketplace of ideas are key factors of the USA's success up to this point, and we must hold onto it as if our democracy depends on it. Because it does.

Sources: Areopagitica; a speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of unlicenc'd printing, to the Parliament of England.1644, London, John Milton, Public Domain, British Library
https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/areopagitica/text.html

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