Never before in the modern age has free speech and free thought been more challenged.
THIS is on every ballot in every election, you just need to think long and hard about how and who.
You might as well not have any other right afforded by a true republic if you do not have the absolute right of free speech.
How we got here should have been taught to every student in the US, it is not.
This is how.
Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie stands as a monumental achievement in the Enlightenment era, embodying the spirit of intellectual freedom and resistance against censorship with the absolute right to free speech under all conditions.
Published between 1751 and 1772, this ambitious work sought to compile and disseminate the entirety of human knowledge. Much like AI today.
Diderot, alongside contributors like Voltaire and Rousseau, used the *Encyclopédie* to challenge the status quo, criticizing religious dogma, political dogma and absolute monarchy, and advocating for reason and empirical evidence.
This defiance against established authority became a flashpoint for the broader movement towards absolute freedom of speech.
Diderot called the absolute right to absolute free speech was a Natural Right not granted by a monarch or president. The Natural Right had no limits.
The Encyclopédie served as both a symbol and a catalyst for intellectual liberation. By promoting the exchange of ideas and encouraging critical thinking, it laid the groundwork for revolutionary thought across Europe and the Americas.
The principles espoused within its volumes resonated deeply with the architects of the American Revolution, who were inspired by Enlightenment ideals of liberty and democracy. The emphasis on individual rights and the questioning of traditional power structures found in Diderot's work influenced key figures like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
In this way, Diderot's Encyclopédie was more than just a compendium; it was a radical assertion of the right to think, speak, and write freely. Its impact on the formation of the United States is profound, as it helped nurture the ideological underpinnings of a new nation founded on the principles of freedom and equality. By challenging intellectual oppression, Diderot and his collaborators ignited a global discourse on human rights that continues to shape societies today.
The powerful elite of Europe demanded that Diderot be silenced and his books burned. This resulted in his arrest and the burning of Encyclopédie.
The attack first came for his character and threats that he was a danger to the “social order”. It escalated to calls for his arrest and execution.
Our age is intricately connection to the moment Diderot lives in. The attacks are the same and the same arguments are used today to smite free speech and free thought.
The enlightenment shifted the tides by a populist uprising that lead to the formation of the United States of America.
A republic was formed to enshrine the freedom of speech in an absolute sense.
Any time it was challenged, the republic rose up and voted the challengers out no matter their pedigree.
This is the burden and liberation on your shoulders if you are a US citizen in early November. You must think of this foundation before any other foundation or you have no republic.
They called the era of Diderot The Age Of Reason and this is Diderot’s Smile Of Reason, an act of rebellion at the time towards those that try to silence anyone then or now.
It is time to Smile.
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“The aims of the encylopedia seem harmless to us. But you know authoritarian governments don’t like dictionaries. They live by lies and bamboozling abstractions. They can’t afford to have words accurately defined”—Kenneth Clarke, 1969
@PowerTripKFAN@m_knudson@InitialsGame@Vikings I guessed FD. Fun to to pick the correct initials. Good thing wearing jackets is also fun. I’ll be enjoying that activity tomorrow instead of going to the game. Almost as much fun. @MeatSauce1
Welcome to #Minnesota@jordanbpeterson! Our baby’s early arrival will be keeping us from attending tonight. He’s doing great and we look forward to listening via podcast.
The prosecution of Assange is a direct threat to a free press & freedom of speech for every American.
I urge President Trump to do the right thing: Take a stand for freedom & pardon Julian Assange as one of his final acts before leaving the White House. #TrumpsLastDay