In 1664 John Milton wrote what is now one of his most famous works, the Areopagitica.

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Areopagitica

In 1664 John Milton wrote what is now one of his most famous works, the Areopagitica. It was labeled by him as “A speech for the liberty of unlicensed printing to the parliament of England.” (Milton, 1). Milton wrote his Areopagitica during a time of social change that saw the breakdown of authoritarianism and the dawning of libertarianism. Milton believed in the freedom of speech and was against the harsh printing laws that existed at the time. He wrote the Areopagitica to advocate the abolition of censorship; he believed in a free marketplace of ideas and felt that the restrictions on the printing press were only hindering the spread of wisdom.

Milton explores many ideas throughout his piece, but the first argument that he starts discussing is the issue of censorship in relation to the church. Milton was very much against the Catholic Church. He disagreed with its values, and blamed the emergence of the censorship of the press on them, saying that they stop perfectly good books from being born, by implementing their law of prior restraint: “…first the inventors of it to be those whom ye will be loath to own; next what is to be thought general of reading, whatever sort the books be; and this order avails nothing to the suppressing of scandalous, seditious, and libelous books, which were mainly intended to be suppressed.” (Milton, 3). Milton felt that Catholicism does not tolerate ideas or beliefs outside of its own and implemented these laws in order to avoid defamation of the church.

The law that Milton speaks of is that of censorship before the fact; banning books before they even get printed or published. This law angered Milton as he saw it as unjust. He explained it in a nutshell: “…by judging over again that order which ye have ordained to regulate printing:--that no book, pamphlet, or paper shall be henceforth printed, unless the same be first approved and licensed by such, or at least one of such, as shall be thereto appointed.” (Milton, 2). Milton saw books as living creatures, or as a part of the authors mind, and that by killing a book one kills that persons mind and their ideas: “Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.” (Milton, 3). People’s thoughts are revealed through books, and by banning them one is stopping these ideas from being transmitted to, or absorbed by others. Milton felt that people were intelligent enough to judge the content of a book themselves, without somebody else doing it for them. The implementation of this censorship hinders people from acting wisely, and underestimates their intelligence and ability.

This brings Milton to his second main argument, that wisdom comes from the search for knowledge, and one should be able to exercise their mind in search of this wisdom, or truth. He accepts the fact that there are both good and bad books, but that people will never be able to find the good unless they also experience the bad: “…what wisdom can there be to choose, what continence to forbear without the knowledge of evil? He that can apprehend and consider vice with all her baits and seeming pleasures, and yet abstain, and yet distinguish, and yet prefer ...

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Milton expresses how he feels that values and truths need to be justified and put forth, but that with censorship, pieces of the truth go missing and people will never get to see the whole picture, or the whole truth. Although much of it never gets exposed, he believed that truth would always defeat error in a fair fight, and that this licensing and censoring was not necessary to do that job. Truth can resist challenge and will always prevail: “See the ingenuity of truth, who, when she gets set free and willing hand, opens herself faster than the pace of method and discourse can overtake her.” (Milton, 10). Milton believed firmly that truth would always win, despite the lies, rumors, and libel that often circulated.

He stressed the fact that people should be able to read anything without the fear that it will contaminate them with inaccurate information or blasphemous ideas. People have free will and a free mind and should be able to analyze anything for themselves. According to Milton, even the interpretation of the bible is subjective: “First is feared the infection that might spread; but then all human learning and controversy in religious points must remove out of the world, yea the Bible itself…” (Milton, 8).

Milton’s third main argument revolves around the overall effectiveness of licensing and censorship. Milton questions all aspects of censorship and expresses how he feels that aside from being unnecessary, it is also insulting to the authors, who he of course sees as being far superior to the people administering the censorship and licensing. One point that Milton makes for this argument is that if books are to be censored, then logically so should every other art and leisure be censored or restricted: “And albeit whatever thing we hear or see, sitting, walking, traveling, or conversing, may be fitly called our book, and is of the same effect that writings are, yet grant the thing to be prohibited were only books, it appears that this order hithero is far insufficient to the end which it intends.” (Milton, 12). It is not only through books that people learn, or acquire knowledge or ideas.

As for the people implementing the restrictions, Milton strongly questions their efficiency too: What makes one person more qualified than another to do the job of censoring a book? Who decides who has the authority to do such a thing? Milton talks about what qualities a censor or licenser is supposed to have, and who is to decide what these qualities are in the first place. The role of being a censor is a controversial one: “…consider the quality that ought to be in every licenser. It cannot be denied that he who is made judge to sit upon the birth or death of books…had need to be a man above the common measure, both studious, learned, and judicious; there may be else no mean mistakes in the censure of what is passable and what is not…” (Milton, 13).

Milton believed that the wrong kinds of people were involved in the system. Licensers, to him, were far inferior to the writers, and to have somebody younger, less educated, and less intellectual than you decide the fate of your work was degrading. He expressed how he felt that it would be better to be silent than to be degraded by the censors and to have your work altered by them: “I lastly proceed from the no good it can do, to the manifest hurt it causes, in being first the greatest discouragement and affront that can be offered to learning, and to learned men.” (Milton, 13). He also further expresses the importance of the right to choose. Nobody should decide for you what you can or cannot read or what you should or should not believe in.

Milton’s last argument basically points out that the censoring of these good books is only hindering a whole nation from progressing forward, that the judgment call of these licensers determines the ability of a whole nation. Milton yet again says this is degrading: “Thus much we are hindered and disinured by this course of licensing, toward the true knowledge of what we seem to know…it hinders are retards the importation of our richest merchandise, truth…” (Milton, 18). Milton feared that by not allowing people to read or learn whatever they want, people would never be open minded, and would only believe what they are told is true without seeking out and discovering the truth for themselves. He expressed how he felt that this eventual ignorance would be detrimental to a nation with so much potential and intelligence, a nation that should be flourishing with knowledge: “Truth is compared in Scripture to a streaming fountain; if her waters flow not in a perpetual progression; they sicken into a muddy pool of conformity and tradition. A man may be heretic in truth; and if he believe things only because his pastor says so, or the assembly so determines, without knowing other reason, though his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds becomes his heresy.” (Milton, 17). Milton concluded with a strong word on the faith that he has for his nation, and that the parliament of England should reconsider these laws. Milton was determined to set the minds of the people free.

In all, Milton’s arguments are forceful, persuasive, and certainly convincing. His idea for the free marketplace of ideas was a revolutionary one for his time, and definitely laid the path for today’s standards. However, the issue of censorship is one that is still controversial even today. The question always has been and still is where to draw the line. Milton believed strongly in the freedom of speech, that anyone should be able to express anything at any time, but there are dangers in that. The standard is hard to define. By saying whatever you please, you could harm or hurt others, or express sentiments of prejudice or discrimination. This is where Milton’s arguments would need to be revised if they were to be applied directly in today’s world. You cannot deny people their freedom to express themselves, but you also cannot let people impose or inflict harm on others, this is where the line becomes hazy. Milton was definitely right in wanting to steer away from an authoritarian way of thinking, and without revolutionary thinkers like him we probably wouldn’t have the freedom we have today. His arguments were bold and passionate and made way for a change for the better. Although his arguments would need to be revised if they stood true today, they still stand as an outline for today’s way of thinking.