Milton Aeropagitica

Milton's Aeropagitica

Milton's lengthy essay Aeropagitica was surprising to me in its advocacy of an almost complete lack of censorship. Somehow, I had come to the impression that the literature of centuries past, especially in times and places that were controlled largely by religious institutions, were highly restrictive when it came to printing. The fact that Milton, who wrote religious allegories himself, would be so opposed to the idea of censorship and such an articulate proponent for a free press really changes my thinking about this. It is also significant that he employed such rational and carefully crafted arguments -- even using religion and he Bible itself -- to make his point. I think that the readers of his time (or at least the people in power, whom it can be inferred was his intended audience) would have been more receptive t his argument based on the sources and arguments he used. If he had simply defended trivial texts, his argument would have been weaker, but showing how the Bible itself could be considered heretical because of the evils it describes is a very profound and powerful point.

The part of Milton's argument that had an especial resonance for me, though, is the practical argument. Milton asks, "how can a man teach with authority...how can he be a doctor" if all that they are allowed to teach and learn is that which has been approved by some government licenser (pg. 1820). He makes a very good point here, that human knowledge cannot really progress or attempt to find truth if it is not given the freedom to roam even into the realms of untruth. This seems to be the essence of Milton;s entire argument; even religious good cannot exist without knowledge of evil (as Milton pointed out earlier in the piece), and therefore censorship would really accomplish nothing but making humanity increasingly ignorant.