Thought Slavery

They wanted him to accept that the world didn't rotate; if he refused, the penalty was house arrest. In a society that treated even the Church's interpretations of science as commands, Galileo Galilei defended free thought in the light of science. He was just one of Socrates, Hypatia, Pythagoras, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Antoine Lavoisier, who were judged or killed for their views. Of course, alongside them was a populace that unquestioningly followed everything the Church said and was crushed under the weight of societal norms. Throughout history, almost every society has produced segments of society that conform to the system but increasingly live not for themselves, but for others. Euripides, the third great tragedian of Athens, alludes to the idea that those who cannot express their thoughts are slaves, stating, "To be unable to express one's thoughts is slavery." According to him, it's not enough for a person to be a slave to work under someone else; even being nurtured by the ideas of a system is sufficient.

Europe, for example, perhaps owes its current status as a first-world country to the Age of Discovery, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of Reason. Without the patron class in the Italian city-states, enriched by Mediterranean trade, the emotions of a society oppressed under the pressures of the church could not have been reflected in works of art. At the same time, the reduction of the church's influence on society through the Reformation is a gateway to the Age of Reason, which is evidence that individuals will increasingly embrace free thought as authority begins to lose its power over society. Therefore, the first step on the path to free thought is to examine the influence of authority on society. Of course, it is difficult to measure how freely a society can express itself, but the concept of "democracy," which emerged in Athens, must be implemented to prevent it from reaching the level of "slavery."

So, is "slavery" practiced today? Since no country legally recognizes the concept of "slavery," the answer is "No." Therefore, if there is no "slavery," there must also be "freedom of thought." But is "freedom of thought" applicable in all regions today? In societies where gender inequality, racial discrimination, and social status differences are valued, this is certainly quite difficult. Therefore, the answer to this question can be "no." Then the concept of "thought slavery" emerges. This conflicts with the form of government that countries define as "democracy." Thus, the reality emerges that individuals are unknowingly silenced, their ideas reduced to a single form, and forced to serve the system. That's why the hypocrisy of authority enters our lives with the concept of "thought slavery." In fact, because individuals cannot perceive that their freedom of thought is restricted due to this hypocrisy, they cannot realize that they are "slaves." That's why Euripides warned humanity as early as 400 BC.

Source:

Aygen, Cansu. “9 Scientists Who Were Tried or Killed Because of Their Views.” https://sophosakademi.org/2020/08/29/gorusleri-yuzunden-yargilanan-oldurulen-bilim-insanlari/ .

This article was published in Koç School's Philosophy journal.