Sunday, February 7, 2010
Censorship
When I first read Book III from The Republic, I felt that Socrates was taking too many rights from the people of the just city, more specifically the guardians. I have always feared that I was living in some crazy censored society like those portrayed in The Truman Show or The Village. The thought of having my freedom to certain knowledge prohibited secretly by certain “rulers” terrifies me. That’s how I feel about this city that Socrates has built. I understand that children can’t distinguish subtleties as well as adults and that children are censored from many aspects of life anyways, but not everything should be censored. I think that children should learn of these vicious characters so that they know these kind of people exist. I know that I was never censored as a child. I could watch whatever movies I wanted (often R-rated and considered “inappropriate”) since I can remember, and I still grew up with a grip on what was right and what was wrong. I understand that Socrates wants a city without corruption, but I don’t think the cost of human rights is worth it.
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I understand your point completely and the main thing that disturbed me was not the idea of censorship, but the fact that the government was censoring the children. There was no parental guidance whatsoever since the children would be taken away, and instead, they would all end up the same. However, I also see Socrates' point. One has to analyze what the final goal of a government is. For my ideal government, the final goal is securing freedom of thought, action, and property. For his, the main goal is to make people virtuous. Although I disagree on the ends, I believe his means are rather appropriate. By controlling what enters the mind of a child he can mold it into a perfect citizen.
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