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25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 2. Freedom of belief

[allowing citizens to form their beliefs individually]

6 ideas
5754 You can't control someone's free mind, only their body and possessions [Boethius]
     Full Idea: The only way one man can exercise power over another is over his body and what is inferior to it, his possessions. You cannot impose anything on a free mind.
     From: Boethius (The Consolations of Philosophy [c.520], II.VI)
     A reaction: Written, of course, in prison. Boethius had not met hypnotism, or mind-controlling drugs, or invasive brain surgery. He hadn't read '1984'. He hadn't seen 'The Ipcress File'. (In fact, he should have got out more…)
19939 Government is oppressive if opinions can be crimes, because people can't give them up [Spinoza]
     Full Idea: Government is bound to become extremely oppressive where dissident opinions which are within the domain of each individual, a right which no one can give up, are treated as a crime.
     From: Baruch de Spinoza (Tractatus Theologico-Politicus [1670], 18.06 (2))
     A reaction: One might compare illicit desires, such as those of a paedophile, where it is a crime to act on them, but presumably they cannot be given up, so there is no point in legislating against the mere desires.
19944 Without liberty of thought there is no trust in the state, and corruption follows [Spinoza]
     Full Idea: If liberty of thought is suppressed ...this would undemine the trust which is the first essential of a state; detestable flattery and deceit would flourish, giving rise to intrigues and every sort of honest behaviour.
     From: Baruch de Spinoza (Tractatus Theologico-Politicus [1670], 20.11)
     A reaction: Spinoza specifically defends philosophy, as the epitome of freedom of thought.
19858 No one should be molested for their opinions, if they do not disturb the established order [Mirabeau/committee]
     Full Idea: No man is to be molested on account of his opinions, even his religious opinions, provided that their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.
     From: Mirabeau and committee (Declaration of the Rights of Man [1789], 10)
     A reaction: Virtually any opinion will 'disturb' the established order a little bit, so this gives the option of suppressing quite mild beliefs, on the grounds of their small disturbance. It is still a wonderful proposal, though.
22972 Bourgeois 'freedom of conscience' just tolerates all sorts of religious intolerance [Marx]
     Full Idea: Bourgeois 'freedom of conscience' is just the toleration of all possible kinds of religious unfreedom of conscience, and the workers' party should endeavour to liberate the conscience from the witchery of religion.
     From: Karl Marx (Critique of the Gotha Program [1875], IV)
     A reaction: We see this in modern 'faith' schools in the UK, which do not seem to be required to live up to the standards of freedom of belief expected in the rest of a liberal society.
21848 Some lines (of flight) are becomings which escape the system [Deleuze]
     Full Idea: There are lines which do not amount to the path of a point, which break free from structure - lines of flight, becomings, without future or past, without memory, which resist the binary machine. …The rhizome is all this.
     From: Gilles Deleuze (A Conversation: what is it? What is it for? [1977], II)
     A reaction: The binary machine enforces simplistic either/or choices. I assume the 'lines' are to replace the Self, with something much more indeterminate, active and changing.