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FREEDOM

2400. To signal virtue, some governments pretend that freedom of speech is compatible with laws against blasphemy. It is not. But stupidity is a self-compounding investment: the emerging conflict is remedied by restricting speech.

2371. Free speech has become a victim of rabid egalitarianism. A criticism of Islamic principles and practices is seen as hate speech; any reference to the negative effect of a cultural value is termed racist --and anyone who has the temerity to suggest that biological facts are not instantly obliterated by psychological perceptions of gender is deemed the spawn of Satan. In the name of equality, we are retreating from freedom and the rationality of science to a dank cesspool of primitive taboos.

2365. The automobile symbolizes the freedom, convenience, flexibility, and inequality of capitalism. The streetcar represents socialism --  it will take you "equally" and inexpensively to some locations at certain times determined by the government. What seems to work best is a preponderance of automobiles, and a necessary back-up alternative of streetcars. The "stellar" worlds of streetcar exclusivity invariably collapse into black holes of dysfunction and misery -- because human beings, unlike ants, prefer individual freedom to imposed equality.

2354. Capitalism may be seen as a safety valve for natural aspirations, freedom, and self-interest; Socialism -- which  forbids freedom and self-interest for all but the chosen elite -- invariably lurches towards dictatorship and dysfunction.

2350. Capitalism echoes the freedom implicit in the law of the jungle. It aligns the individual desire for freedom with much of the common good -- but it can never provide the degree of equality to which many aspire. Greater equality can only be achieved, safely, with an artificial distribution of wealth which does not destroy individual initiative. Socialism always fails because it overvalues equality and undervalues freedom.

2327. Government and freedom are predator and prey. As government grows, so freedom falters.

2326.Successful people vote for less government, so they have the freedom to become more successful.  Less successful people vote for more government, so they can remain unsuccessfully dependent. Big government and poverty are mutually reinforcing.

2316. Bad ideas are often protected because to criticize them would expose some particularly cherished delusion.

2315. The proclamation that an idea must not be criticized is certain proof of insufficiency. No one suggests infallibility for Einstein's theory of relativity. But that psychological perception of gender causes biological differences to vanish like a morning mist in sunlight is held to be sacrosanct. Those who criticize -- or fear -- Islam -- a religion antithetical to western values -- are labelled as the Spawn of Beelzebub.

2132. Every society will restrict individual freedom in some way. The freedoms most legitimately restricted are those in which the pursuit of individual ends directly injures others. Murder, theft, and libel are examples. Restricting the freedom to pursue and proclaim truths which may hurt feelings -- while currently fashionable -- is less easy to justify.

2118. Censorship is the refuge of those who have no logical, factual basis for refutation. It is an admission of impotence.

2117. The ideas that are censored are usually unwelcome truths.

2116. Nationalism is optimistic and  favours freedom; globalism  is fearful, and seeks to limit and control. Those in favour of nationalism tend to be the ordinary powerless; those in favour of globalism imagine they will be exempt from the restrictions they wish to impose on everyone else.

2115. The Malthusian apocalypse and the Tragedy of the Commons both demand a reduction of freedom -- the evolutionary demand for success.  But choosing the path between the necessary life force and the destruction which it seems to imply is not easy.

2054. The more liberty, the more inequality.

2053. Liberty cannot lead to equality, because liberty allows choice. No one who has the freedom to choose the best will choose mere equality.

2052. Every act of choosing embodies freedom --and -- by recognizing a hierarchy of options -- denies the principle of equality.

2051. "Equality" sounds attractive -- until you realize it is a theoretical state which is incompatible with freedom, choice, and change.

2032. When the government provides "free" healthcare, it is a short step to legislating against behaviour which results in higher costs. Liberty is always the price of security.

2031. There is an authoritarian jackboot implicit in socialism's promise of free stuff from the government. What the government gives, it can also withhold from those deemed insufficiently compliant.

1999. While the sense of gender dysphoria may be real and profound, and the urge to deny contrary biology understandable, it is inappropriate to expect society to deny fact in favour of psychology. The fact is biological men can't give birth, and biological women can; the claim that biology doesn't matter is simply untrue. The attempt to compel speech, to prevaricate with statements like "not all boys have penises" -- these do not help the cause. The principle is oppressive and Orwellian -- mind control through Newspeak, logical absurdities, and the erasing of fact. 

1970. Every time you make a choice, you deny the principle of equality: you are declaring that some things are better than others. Not only is inequality the cause of galaxies and the wellspring of evolution, it is the beating heart of freedom, choice, and progress.

1969. Free speech is increasingly subject to taboo. A taboo is a device used to achieve by threat a respect which cannot be freely granted -- that naturally accorded to virtue, truth, or accomplishment. The taboo against "Islamophobia" is a signal example -- but others -- like references to the physical aspects of gender -- abound. Our times will be known as the Age of Euphemania.

1968. Freedom of speech implies a certain acceptance of reality: people have different opinions -- the best ideas are derived from a competitive exchange -- and some will feel the elation of success, others the ignominy of defeat. The new religion -- political correctness -- finds virtue in uniformity of opinion, in the absence of conflict, and in an equality of self-esteem. The two are antithetical. It is a measure of our times that freedom of speech is increasingly restricted in favour of  false harmony, deceptive blandness, and the cocooning comfort of mediocrity.

1966. Equality cannot survive in a world of freedom or of choice. Freedom implies choice -- and any choice makes a powerful anti-egalitarian statement: some things are better than others.

1965. Equality is logically inconsistent with change -- for any change in a theoretical state of equality would destroy it. Equality needs stasis -- it denies the very pulse of life.

1963. It is interesting that societies which formerly appeared to favour freedom of speech, have now, apparently, seen the error of their ways. Certain topics, like Islam, multiculturalism, equality, diversity, or inclusiveness are considered sacrosanct. The notion of taboo would seem to be a persistent artifact in functioning of human culture.

1818. It is currently fashionable to suppress the truth in favour of harmony. But such bargains usually end with the Devil unscathed, and everything else in flames.

1816. Canada's Motion 103 is an example of Tolernaziism. In the interests of tolerance, it suggests that the deficiencies of Islam should remain hidden -- by classifying any criticism as hate speech.

1815. Tolernaziism: The condemnatory stance and oppressive measures taken by those who believe that the equality of things justifies undiscriminating tolerance -- or tolernuts. It is the moral failure implicit in the refusal to make moral distinctions and value judgments. (An example of condemnatory stance would be Trudeau's outrage that honour killings should be termed "barbaric." An example of an oppressive measure would be the Austrian law which criminalizes the "disparagement of religious precepts.")    

1811. Speech is free -- until it contradicts a particularly cherished illusion.

1731. Socialist schemes within non-socialist governments will always be characterized by inefficiency and coercion.

1730. The socialist impulse has an infected, totalitarian root: the vision of an egalitarian nirvana justifies any burden of human sacrifice. That is why the path of socialism leads to dictatorship.

1728. All governments are monopolistic; periodic elections are the only means yet developed for modifying their totalitarian tendencies.

1727. A monopoly represents an imbalance of power -- and thus engenders arrogance,  degrades civility, and invites oppression.

1726. Competition is the seed of efficiency. It also forestalls the inevitable abuses of monopolistic power.

1675. Propaganda can be seductive, but Islam --"the religion of peace" -- is as Islam does. How many Islamic countries exist where dogma does not oppress -- where there is no stranglehold on freedoms taken for granted in the West?  

1673. Sometimes hard choices must be made. Equality or merit? Compassion or justice? Political correctness or freedom? What sounds good or what works?

1664. Virtue-signalling is the modern epidemic – and once you become convinced that you are on the side of the angels, any pact with the totalitarian devil can be justified. The truth of things – where virtue actually lies – such matters are irrelevant.

1639. Man was not made for the planned egalitarian ease promised by socialism, but for the freedom and struggle inherent in capitalism. The cruel necessity of competitive struggle can be mitigated, but not abolished. That is why socialism invariably tends towards dictatorship, and why remote, communal, government-funded Indian reserves are cultural disasters.

1638. True "freedom of religion" must include the freedom to follow any peaceful religion -- or to reject all religions.  Since it calls for the deaths of apostates and unbelievers, Islam is incompatible with freedom of religion, and is unsuitable in countries which hold that freedom dear.

1637. Theists are strong advocates of "freedom of religion" -- by which they mean the "freedom" of believers to subscribe to unlikely fantasies dressed up as dogma. They are less enamoured with the more important "freedom from religion" -- which requires that fantasies not claim to be facts.  

1624. Political correctness requires people to ignore what they know to be true, and profess "acceptable" lies. It represents the real-life attempt to establish "thoughtcrimes."

1623. The attempt to create crystal people needed for the "egalitarian" crystal palace of socialism is intrinsically oppressive; socialism invariably veers towards dictatorship.

1622. Socialism and political correctness are both based on ideal, egalitarian visions of reality; they are both oppressive in the real world.

1621. Every ideal has an inner jackboot.

1620. To get anywhere, an ideal concept requires some size of jackboot.

1619. Inside every idealist is an authoritarian, screaming to get out.

1618. Within every ideal there lurks a totalitarian heart.

1617. Ideal worlds are both unattainable and unforgiving; the attempts to construct them are invariably oppressive.

1601. Mass murderers like Brenton Tarrant are responsible for two evils. The most obvious is the killing of those who are entirely innocent. The less obvious is the resulting inhibiting of criticism of Islam -- a religion whose tenets condone and justify evil and oppression.  Certain facts remain -- Iran is an oppressive Islamic theocracy, and Pakistan has the death penalty for blasphemy. Murderous riots over mocking cartoons and horrendous evils committed in the attempt to establish a Caliphate are not erased because some interpretations of Islam are, in practice, benign.

1566. "Multiculturalism" -- "open borders" -- "strength from diversity" -- all these notions suggest that immigration need not be controlled, and cannot possibly represent a threat. Yet Motion M-103 shows the willingness of government to sell our birthright of freedom of speech for an unsavoury mess of religious pottage -- long rejected in our own culture but expected where Islam dominates -- the absurd claim that religion must not be criticized. The price of liberty, it has been said, is eternal vigilance. It is unwise to nod, agreeably, to the bromide lullabies of gullible idealists.

1546. Socialism emphasizes security; capitalism encourages liberty.

1538. Bad ideas -- those which threaten our traditional freedoms -- should not go unopposed. No attention should be paid to the claim that such criticism will offend the religious sensibilities of those who hold them. The worst defence for any idea is that it is based in a religious tradition.

1512. Freedom requires a framework; diversity must meet the test of viability; creativity is defined by custom. Life itself evolves through the interplay of random, chaotic forces tested against the inflexible limitation of survival. The principle of complementary opposites explains why life is not as simple as may appear on the surface -- why real virtue is never an ideal -- but a compromise.

1419. Globalism and nationalism represent two warring aspects of our instinctive desire for hierarchy. Nationalism at least allows for the possibility of democracy; globalism does not.

1417. Democracy represents the conscious attempt to modify the worst effects of instinctive tribalism. It allows for the disruption of a natural tendency towards hierarchical entrenchment with regular threats of uncertainty. It is like the discontinuous practice of monogamy: serial hierarchy.

1416. The persistence of religion and the continuing popularity of dictatorships suggest that the human brain has developed with a strong bias towards tribal hierarchy -- conformity and an acceptance of authority. At most important turns in the road, tribalism trumps thought. 

1404. It was once thought that freedom of speech was a good idea. Now that everybody knows what the good ideas are, the importance of freedom has declined precipitously.

1401. Motion M-103 suggests that free speech should be curtailed to stop "Islamophobia." It proposes the exchange of our birthright of freedom for an unsavoury mess of religious pottage.

1375. It is the task of modern government to provide security -- against attack, injustice, and extreme want. The provision of security invariably involves infringements on the liberty of some -- but the best government aims to enhance liberty for citizens in general. Identity politics poses the difficult question: to what extent is it legitimate to enhance the security of one group by infringing on the liberties of all the others?

1372. Multicultural harmony is thought to be obtained by dictating the tune, and establishing penalties for traditional, divergent melodies.  But in the harmony purchased with liberty, discord lurks.

1370. Governments see harmony as a component of security; the temptation is to see citizens as piano keys rather than composers.

1369. Every government must find a balance the desire for security and the need for liberty. Or the need for security and the desire for liberty.

1368. The art of government consists of knowing when to interfere, and when to step aside. It lies in determining the balance between security and liberty.

1366. The price of security is always liberty. "Perfect" security comes in a very small cage.

1362. The state which enables the greatest individual liberty is best -- but the freedom of the individual will inevitably be circumscribed by the requirements of the state.

1361. There are times when the freedom of the individual to express his devotion to religious fantasies must defer to the freedom of the state to express its devotion to secular values.

1354. The cage containing freedom is best constructed of facts;  paradoxically -- high-sounding, expansive ideals make very small cages.

1352.The restriction of some freedoms -- while necessary -- should be based on logic, rather than  fantasy. It seems logical to restrict the freedom of thieves and murderers. Is it also appropriate to restrict the speech of those who criticize the fantasies of political correctness, or who oppose the evils -- both theoretical and practical -- of the religion of Islam?

1350. Freedom of religion is the freedom to engage in fantasy. To give special deference to religious ideas -- because they claim divine approval -- is to express a preference for fantasy over fact.

1349. Determining the limitations of freedom -- while necessary -- is fraught with difficulty. In the modern era, the freedom of fantasy often trumps the freedom of fact. The self-congratulatory all-inclusive tolerance of unproven, unsuccessful -- and ultimately destructive ideas -- is encouraged; those who wish to point out sobering facts are seldom welcomed.

1348. The awkward paradox of freedom is that it cannot flower (or even be understood) in the absence of boundaries. Freeing thieves and murderers will enhance their liberty, but not that of society as a whole. Like every virtue, freedom contains the seeds of vice. Like every ideal, it must be considered not as theory -- but in terms of its practical effects.

1347. Canada's universal health care system is both falsely egalitarian and truly oppressive. The patient, who -- in a capitalist society -- would be a customer able to take his business elsewhere -- is reduced -- in a socialist scheme -- to a supplicant without options. The price of security is always liberty.

1325. At some point it would seem that political correctness -- which oppresses others in claiming the primacy of feelings -- will be hoist with its own petard. What is more hurtful than to have one's freedom to speak and to proclaim the primacy of facts constantly denied? 

1302. Those who seek self-esteem through government-enforced pronoun usage reveal a pathetic inadequacy. Such deference compelled is empty -- it rings hollow at the core; substantial self-regard can arise only from accomplishment.

1301. Requiring the use of transgendered pronouns shows how "feeling good" for the minority has become more important than "feeling free" for the majority.

1283. When prejudicial barriers to participation in employment are removed -- liberty is enhanced. But the requirement that a particular group be represented in any type of employment is restrictive. "Equality" purchased at the cost of liberty should be given its true name: oppression.

1212. Human beings respond to incentives; they are inherently competitive. Just as the competitive spirit cannot be allowed unfettered reign, neither can it be extinguished. Those who attempt to do so -- under the banners of virtue and equality -- are not merely foolish; given sufficient power, they become dictators -- and murderers.

1209. The single payer health care system is, necessarily, coercive, removing competition and reducing patient choice. How we supplicants wish to throw off the yoke, and become customers, able to take our business elsewhere!

1201. Socialism, multiculturalism, and political correctness are all informed by the principle of equality. Since "equality" is an unattainable ideal state, coercion and oppression are intrinsic to all three.

1200. What evils are wrought in the name of "equality!" It is the Procrustean bed into which the great unequal masses of mankind must be forced in order to proclaim that "virtue" has been achieved.

1187. In the ideal world, the niqab would not be banned; in accordance with the concept of freedom -- it would be allowed as a symbol of an oppressive political and religious ideology which is destructive of that very notion of freedom which permits its expression. But in the real world, that "tolerance" seems inextricably wedded to the notion that the oppressive symbol -- and the underlying ideology -- not be criticized. To allow opposing ideas a free rein -- and then prohibit criticism of them -- is not tolerance but stupidity. It seems the equivalent of a death wish.

1182. The virtue of harmony is a convenient cover for the totalitarian impulse.

1135. The notion of complementary opposites is the key to understanding the limitations of the real world. It is not a question of choosing, irrevocably, peace, freedom, love, tolerance, and equality. All of these ideal conceptions imply their necessary opposites. Conflict, restriction, hatred, and inequality cannot be wished away with pious incantations, however heartfelt, or with determined imaginings, no matter how fervent.

1123. Political correctness seeks to suppress speech critical of Islam. Thus not only are bad ideas protected -- including the absurd claim of infallibility -- but a liberty fundamental to western societies -- the right to criticize -- is denied. It is an obsequious appeasement -- an offer of cultural suicide in the hope of harmony.

1120. Political correctness aims for a world of equality where feelings are triumphantly unhurt; the attempt is oppressive, and ultimately must founder on the implacable truth: feelings can never be sacrosanct, and equality is not in the blueprint of natural things.

1119. Ideals are conceptual and theoretical -- they are notions of perfection; human beings are real and -- resistantly -- imperfect. That is why the attempt to implement ideals invariably involves coercion and a loss of liberty.

1118. Socialism illustrates the tyranny of the ideal: it invariably leads to dictatorship.

1117. The tyranny of the ideal becomes possible when noble intentions are considered more important than actual results.

1111. "Cultural sensitivity" should not preclude the criticism of oppressive,  unjust, and absurd cultural practices. For how else can freedom, justice, and reason be advanced?

1102. Islam presents a problem because it is very oppressive in theory, but can be less so in practice. The danger is that a failure to criticize bad ideas can be mistaken for consent; the feelings of believers must never stand in the way of  criticizing absurdity and injustice -- wherever they are found. 

1085. Mr. Dawkins has noted the "epidemic" of restrictions on open speech. The pathogen responsible is the notion of equality; the disease is called political correctness. In the ideal world, people, cultures, and religions -- even ideas -- except those which deny the very premise of equality -- are equal. Thus criticism becomes "unfair" and -- the ultimate in tragedy -- hurtful of feelings. The ideal world is, necessarily, a restrictive and coercive factor in the real one.

1064. Life, at its core, is not egalitarian, but competitive. This fact may be deplored, and competition may be beneficially modified in the interests of "equality" -- but it can never be eliminated. The attempts to create egalitarian societies -- socialist states -- are coercive cures worse than the disease they are meant to remedy. All socialist societies are Procrustean beds -- they invariably become dictatorships as they attempt to force real, natural, competitive inequalities into a theoretical framework of equality.

1029. The indignant response to the sin of cultural appropriation may be likened to laws against blasphemy: they are both attempts to compel reverence where it is not being freely given.

1028. When ideas -- whether religious or secular -- are considered too "blasphemous" to be expressed -- we know that somebody's illusion is being threatened.

1027. Laws against blasphemy always suggest inadequacy -- the need to proclaim certainty in the absence of evidence.

1024. "Blasphemy" is found in matters of comforting but vulnerable belief; the forbidding of criticism is invariably a sign of weakness and insecurity.

1019. The art of civilization lies in convincing citizens that their conformity is freely chosen.

1014. A capitalist democracy -- in which citizens conform in the interests of self-improvement -- is superior to a theocracy or socialist state -- where citizens are required to conform to an ideal vision of reality; these invariably become indistinguishable from oppressive monarchies or dictatorships.

1013. Tribalism -- instinctive and essential -- depends upon conformity -- and conformity implies some degree of tyranny. There is always a penalty for failing to think with the herd.

998. Good ideas are unpretentious, fearless and confident; bad ideas -- pretending to virtue and authority -- fear the truth, and thus claim immunity from the scrutiny of free debate.

995. That morality is best which allows for the greatest liberty of citizens which is consistent with the well-being of the society of which they are a part.

958. Political correctness -- which values feelings over facts, and fiction over freedom -- has led to a kind of intellectual bankruptcy. Any criticism of ideas is seen as an illegitimate attack on the feelings of those who hold them; thus the competitive marketplace of ideas -- where the best must battle to survive -- is rejected in favour of a central plan – a plan designed to enforce an inoffensive egalitarian harmony. It proclaims, in effect, a socialism of the mind.

931. Freedom of speech and blasphemy are conceptual matter and anti-matter: in collision -- one must destroy the other.

930. Those who believe that bad ideas can be overcome with silence and kindness have another bad idea.

929. When religion is used to justify oppression and cruelty, polite silence merely approves the evil.

928. Your rulers are those you fear to criticize.  ( A re-statement of: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."  Voltaire,  1694 - 1778)

927. When you refrain from criticizing a bad idea for fear of giving offense, the bad idea has won.

925. Socialism requires a great deal of coercion in order achieve the unnatural conditions of "brotherhood" and "equality." It is simply dictatorship pretending to benevolence.

923. "Hate speech" is a term which appeals to virtue, but paves the way to tyranny; it is the means through which opinion is transformed into blasphemy.

900. Capitalism embodies freedom; socialism yearns for security. They are the cobra and mongoose found in battle within the body politic.

898. Fidel Castro illustrates the necessary link between socialism and dictatorship. Socialism is the genetic legacy of ants, but human beings still yearn for some degree of autonomy and some measure of freedom.

896. Speaking the truth is often seen as subversive and revolutionary -- because it usually contradicts the cherished illusions: that equality and harmony are the birthright of mankind.

843. Political correctness places a high value on emotions, and a low value on truth. It fails to recognize that it is more important to criticize an idea for its deficiencies than to protect it because of the emotional cost of criticism. No society can thrive on a diet of agreeable delusions.

842. It is the folly of the politically correct to equate an attack on ideas with an attack on the "dignity and humanity" of those who hold them. When criticism is forbidden on the grounds of "hurt feelings," bad ideas are sanctioned and encouraged. In other words, stupidity triumphs.

841. The "preferred narrative" is that cultures and religions are equally worthy. In an effort to silence those who disagree, many newspapers now provide no opportunity for commentary on articles dealing with religion and culture. Whenever ideas seem to require the protection of censorship, you know they are dangerously flawed. Truth cannot be proclaimed by the well-intentioned; it is discovered through evidence, and from an exchange of competing views.  

826. Islamic free speech is like the thunder of unicorns racing across an imaginary plain.

821. Freedom from religion is as important as freedom of religion.

812. Each society must determine how much liberty should be sacrificed for security and equality.

811. Equality is no friend to liberty.

809. The greater the freedom, the greater the inequality.

807. Beware the progression of the sounds of aggression. There is little doubt microaggression aspires to nano-aggression; some will not be satisfied until all speech is silenced in the name of harmony.

801. Socialism is based on the premise that human beings would prefer to be ants.

799. There is no free lunch. The Canadian government funds the health care system, but the patient is required to donate his right to choose a more efficient and timely service.

798. The urge to organize and improve society is irresistible, but organization always demands a price in terms of individual freedom. Human beings are not ants.

785. The Canadian healthcare system, in the guise of egalitarian benevolence, deliberately removes competition and reduces consumer choice. As with any benevolent monopoly, a culture of complacency and sanctimonious condescension is the result.

784. A benevolent monopoly is particularly odious; the usual monopolistic arrogance is wedded to an aura of sanctimonious self-satisfaction. 

783. No monopolist is ever humble.

782. Arrogance is a necessary concomitant of monopoly.

765. Islam and freedom of speech cannot co-exist; the battle may, at great cost, be postponed, but it cannot be avoided.

743. Every totalitarian – whether dictator, socialist, climate alarmist, religious leader, or upholder of political correctness – is an idealist: he attempts to make humanity fit – through force or persuasion -- the Procrustean bed of an ideal, conceptual world. The concept is always at odds with the facts or with the realities of the human condition, and is ultimately unattainable or unsustainable.

722. Freedom of speech is attacked because, over time, it tends to lead to truth -- a destroyer of dreams and a threat to harmony.

715. There are few things more dangerous than a bad idea pretending to be a good idea -- and claiming special status and protection on that account.

713. It is important to be able to say nasty things about bad ideas; freedom and good ideas are the worthy beneficiaries.

694. In the real world, no freedom can be absolute; but the freedom to criticize should come within an inch of infinity.

667. In restricting free speech, academic institutions claim the virtue of harmony, and the harm of hurt feelings; thus are pacts with the devil written in reverence, sealed in piety, and sprinkled with the holy water of good intentions.

666. Usually free speech is restricted in order to protect a "preferred narrative" -- a view of the world which is known to be fatally vulnerable to facts.

657. The greatest threat to freedom in the West is political correctness -- the despotism disguised as virtue.

655. The despotic impulse is a human constant. It often appears cloaked as virtue -- protecting the sanctity of religion, the fragility of feelings, or the ideal of equality. It even pretends to a saving of the planet.                  

637. We long for "dangerous" spaces, where feelings are irrelevant, and all ideas are free to engage in a battle to the death.

598. Freedom of religion proclaims the right of citizens to hold foolish and irrational beliefs; it does not protect them from criticism of their irrationality, or the denunciation of their folly.

592. When ideas seem to require the protection of censorship, it suggests they are burdened by some essential deficiency, afflicted by some fatal vulnerability to reason.

589. When truth is labelled blasphemy, a new dark age of the mind has been proclaimed.

582. Political correctness values feelings over facts, fiction over freedom.

581. Political correctness is essentially totalitarian – it aims to suppress truth in favour of harmony.

584. Only through competition in the marketplace of discourse can the best ideas emerge and triumph.

570. Facts require no special protection; it is only some beliefs that claim criticism is unfair and illegitimate.

569. Tolerance -- as a self-perceived virtue -- will brook no dissent.

567. Every instance of political correctness reflects the death of some degree of honesty, the snuffing out of some light of truth.

566. "Tolerance" becomes totalitarian when it denies the right to criticize.

533. One day -- probably hundreds of years in the future -- it may be possible to say: "I don't care whether you are offended."

532. Pure virtue -- self-perceived -- seeks no compromise with reality.  This explains the fascism of the Left.

524. The more governments grow in power, the more people look to government to solve problems; the more governments are asked to solve problems, the more power they seek to solve them. Thus liberty defers to security.

495. Only from a free exchange and competition will the best ideas emerge and triumph; those with the worst ideas are the most anxious that freedom be suppressed and competition curtailed. This accounts for the confidence of science, and the defensiveness of religion. 

458. Compassionate government largesse, apparently unencumbered, may yet contain the seeds of dependency, and the tendrils of tentacles. It is not inconceivable that eventually, "free" health care may require behaviour, diet, and medication in conformity with government guidelines.

453. Political correctness: freedom sacrificed at the altar of hypocrisy.

439. The name of the "Hope not Hate" organization -- which opposes "Draw Muhammad" contests -- should be changed to "Capitulation, not Courage." Or, perhaps -- "Forfeit Freedom in Favour of Fanaticism."

416. The claim that something should be beyond criticism is a sure sign of its inadequacy.

407. A concerted attempt to shield people from experiencing hurt feelings may appear noble; but a price is paid in the coin of freedom, and in the currency of truth.

396. Idealism is absolutism. That is why idealistic schemes for improvement, allowed their full scope, become coercive and oppressive.

389. To refrain from mocking those with foolish ideas for fear of giving offense is not wise. Hurt feelings are a small price to pay for the erosion of stupidity.  (cf. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.  Herbert Spencer, 1820 - 1903)

374. Laws Against Blasphemy:  How truth, and laws of science stand serene!
                                                    Their sole defence -- but facts in reason's theme.
                                                    Yet  anxious faiths and Gods of priestly scheme --
                                                    'Gainst such deceits --'tis ruled -- shall none blaspheme!

371. The price of security is always liberty.

367. To limit freedom of speech in the hope that none will ever be offended is a blighted seed – a precursor of decay. Its flower is a failure of honesty, its fruit -- the imprisonment of the mind.

305. In the interests of harmony, it is often considered appropriate to silence any discordant notes of truth.

279. Most will give up an acre of freedom for a closet of security.

263. The socialists’ ideal is a compulsory grand scheme to construct a shimmering palace of crystal for all; that all citizens should have the freedom to construct their own dwellings is as abhorrent to them as the hodge-podge of mud, wood, brick, and glass which must invariably result.