Unearth the Truth
Reading Promiscuously with John Milton (The Secondhand Inspiration Project)
“Promiscuous reading is necessary to the constituting of human nature. The attempt to keep out evil doctrine by licensing is like the exploit of that gallant man who thought to keep out the crows by shutting the park gate.”
— John Milton
This quote is from John Milton’s anti-censorship piece Areopagitica. During the English Civil Wars, when having a wrong idea in your head could literally cost you your head, Milton argued fervently that the most effective way to thwart lies is not by censoring them, but by countering them with the truth.
Facts are mightier than fabrications. Falsehood can triumph through the suppression of opposing views, but in the long term, the truth usually prevails when there’s a free and open exchange of ideas that allows it to shine.
We are living in a time where social media hot takes, public outrage, and political posturing are often gift wrapped and passed off as the truth. Depending on what side of an issue we are on, we are provided plenty of articles that match our opinions, whether they’re ultimately right or wrong. It’s easy to mentally buy into these sources being right since they match your sentiments. But the truth is rarely so accessible, simple, and convenient.