Are some ideas so bad that they should be censored?
This is a question that humanity has wrestled with for a long time.
Historically, there have been times when unpopular ideas were treated as something so dangerous that those who held them were literally burned at the stake.
Some people have sought to remove bad ideas from society by destroying works of art and burning books.
The common thread in each of these examples is that someone was making the decision for someone else as to what they were allowed to consider.
Those who made or enforced that decision were afraid some ideas were so dangerous that individuals could not be trusted to hear or discuss them.
This raises another very important question: Do we have a right to tell others what they can think or say?
In a free society, as long as a person’s behavior is peaceful he or she should be free to hold any opinion.
Even if those opinions aren’t shared by others.
Just because they freely speak their minds doesn’t mean others are required to listen or agree.
The best way to address falsehoods or to overcome bad ideas is not to silence them but rather to correct them.
Restricting free speech makes that less likely to happen in that it can stifle good ideas as well as bad ones.
Only when people freely speak their minds and choose for themselves which ideas to embrace can the best ideas prevail.
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