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Benjamin Franklin Quote and it's relevance to today?
What does this quote by Benjamin Franklin mean?
"Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech, which is the right of every man as far as by it he does not hurt or control the right of another; and this is the only check it outght to suffer, and the only bounds it ought to know."
I think I have a general idea, but just thought I'd double check.
Also, what are some controversial, memorable topics that this quote applies to? The more the topic stands out, the better. Specifics cases and stuff would be helpful, if possible.
Thanks!
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ahhh, an intelligent question. man, this is a treat.
here's how I interpret it;
freedom of thought is paramount, unless you're willing to address every topic of discussion with an open mind, you're going to restrict the knowledge gained from such endeavors. for example, social norms in The United States will not let a person politely address issues of race with any degree of openness. If, for example, I have an opinion contrary to the one put out by the ACLU and the rest of those jokers, like "I believe that affirmative action runs against everything that the country stands for", then people would immediately declare me a racist and automatically shout down any legitimate debate or discussion. similar to the behavior seen in the healthcare debate of the last few months.
The freedom of speech portion as I interpret it of course means that I can say whatever I please, as long as it is not doing nasty things like inciting riots and other such things that would cause harm to others, as well as impeding another's right to the same free speech that I enjoy.
This quote applies to nearly every event of the past year or so in some way or another, for example: some democrats and former president Jimmy Carter accusing people opposed to anything that the President says are racist simply because he is half-black. I could care less about the color of a man's skin, its the character of the man, and his actions, that I abhor. Unless a person is waving a skinhead flag and declaring something along the lines of "Skin that Nigger!" I am going to listen to his side of the debate. This is not happening on either side in the most recent events. The American people are losing grip on the very Bill of Rights that they claim to be so steadfastly defending, many would do well to take this Quote to heart, and if so done these yelling matches would return to a semblance of sanity and reason. I disagree with The President on universal Healthcare, but I will give the man this; he appears to be listening to people who oppose him, and as long as he doesn't lower himself and his office to the level of irreverent yelling and name-calling, I will still respect him. This is an incredibly relevant quote, thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer this, and on that note, I shall leave you a few quotes from others about ammendments and constitutional logic.
"A standing army is the bane of all liberty"
-George Washington
"A free people ought to be armed"
-forgot who said it
and another, one of my personal favorites
"Molon Labe"(old greek for "come and get them")
-Leonidas
have a pleasant weekend
-Gunner
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OKay i think it measn : without the right to think how you want..you cant really be wise...for u cannot speak your MIND if you dont have the right to speak, which everyone has the right to do. and you should be able to speak and think how you want as long as it doesnt affect some one elses right to do the same. and im not too sure about the last part
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