8 Values of Free Expression
- Cassidy White
- Jul 1, 2019
- 1 min read
Out of all Eight Values of Free Expression, I think that discovery of the truth is the most important. You cannot have the other seven without the discovery of truth. John Milton wrote the “first” plea for freedom of speech.
In 1644, John Milton published a book that protested an order that Parliament stated. The order, which was placed in 1643, required government approval and licensing of all books that are published. In his works, Milton uses the Licensing Order of 1643 as his main point of argument.
“Areopagus”, the title of Milton’s works, comes from the name of the court in Athens that administered its jurisdiction and applied general censorship. The name “Areopagus” came from the Greek Areopagus, which was a hill where the Council of Athens met and where St. Paul delivered a sermon.
In his writings, John Milton argues against the rules Parliament placed. On an earlier page of his writings, Milton writes “One might as good almost kill a Man as kill a good Book.” Milton also discovers the story of Adam and Eve in the story of the Garden of Eden. Both Adam and Eve sin by eating the fruit thus prompting Milton to raise his theory of God giving freedom to humans to choose but adds “for reason is but choosing.”
The arguments in Areopagus focused around the free will of people. Milton made several claims that forcing people to act through legal restrictions takes away a person’s righteousness.
Areopagus was unsuccessful during its time, but upheld Parliaments’ censorship until 1695.
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