Areopagitica
Also known as Areopagitica; A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc'd Printing, to the Parlament of England
John Milton's 1644 pamphlet against Parliament's licensing of books before publication.
At a glance
Key ideas
Judge after, not before, Read books of all sorts, Licensing does not work …
See all 5Where it is quoted
New York Public Library
Connections
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Milton wrote it against the Licensing Order of 1643, which required a government licence before a book could be printed.
- He argues that a book should be examined and refuted after it appears, not banned beforehand.
- Reading even bad books helps people find the truth, because God gave each person reason and conscience to judge.
- Licensing, he says, will not stop corruption, insults learning and slows the discovery of truth.
- His tolerance had limits: he excluded Catholicism, and he kept punishment after publication for libellous books.
Why it matters
- It is among history's most influential defences of freedom of speech and of the press, and the US Supreme Court has cited it by name in four cases.
Key facts
- Author
- John Milton1
- Published
- 23 Nov 1644, as a pamphlet, during the First English Civil War1
- Title
- From the Areopagitikos, a speech by the Athenian orator Isocrates; the Areopagus is a hill in Athens1
- Licensing
- Distributed as an unlicensed pamphlet, defying the censorship it argues against1
- Outcome
- Parliament kept pre-publication licensing; it lapsed only in 1695, when Parliament did not renew the order1
- In the US Supreme Court
- Cited by name in four cases, including New York Times Co. v. Sullivan1
Key ideas
-
Judge after, not before1
A work should be "examined, refuted, and condemned" rather than prohibited before anyone has read it.
-
Read books of all sorts1
Even false or heretical books teach, since we find what is true by weighing what is not.
-
Licensing does not work1
Bad ideas still spread by word of mouth; to rectify manners by licensing printing, one would have to regulate every pastime.
-
Truth needs exercise1
Faith and knowledge need testing; licensing breeds conformity and laziness and slows the discovery of truth.
-
Liberty of conscience2
"The liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."
Where it is quoted
-
New York Public Library1
"A good Booke is the precious life-blood of a master spirit" is displayed over the entrance to its Main Reading Room.
Connections
Links
Sources
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