In the lecture “Milton’s Areopagitica and the Modern First
Amendment,” Vincent Blasi describes how Milton fought against censorship and
for free speech and the free press in a written oration to Parliament, and how
Milton’s argument still has relevance today. In 1643, Parliament reestablished
the Licensing Order to raise morale during the civil war, meaning that anything
published had to be approved and licensed. Milton was concerned over censorship
and corruption of power. He put forth three main ideas against censorship in Areopagitica: truth is strong and will
prevail, learning and seeking the truth is important, and having exposure to
the false is important in appreciating the truth. Each of these three ideas were
influenced by his devout Puritan faith, and many of his ideas rely heavily on
his trust and faith in God, so they do not provide a strong defense for the
First Amendment. But Milton’s recognition of the dangerous power held by
Parliament through the Licensing Order is vitally important, as is his
understanding that censorship is ineffective. The desire to censor content the
state may consider inappropriate or dangerous is understandable, but it gives
far too much power—which is incredibly dangerous, as the system could easily be
corrupted and abused—and robs us of the ability to use critical thinking and
come to the truth ourselves. Granted, as Blasi recognizes, that can be misconstrued
as an elitist idea, but I think there is a lot of value in working through
content that some think should be banned to gain knowledge, understanding, and
truth, and in reading forbidden texts “to discover, to confute, to forewarn,
and to illustrate,” in Milton’s words. As we go forward in Forbidden Texts, we should
think about why the text was banned, and the implications or concerns around
the power of the state to ban or censor such works.