Dissenters Quotes

While this has generally been true, there have been many major exceptions like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which was accepted rapidly be leading scientists even before the empirical truth had been demonstrated. The generalization has become less true in the 21st century where new scientific knowledge was almost an every day occurrence.

The early revolutionary Chinese Communists had a much more democratic and civil-liberties oriented view of government than after the had won and gained control of China. Then the problems were so enormous with such meager resources that the insecurity of the party government let to a civil rights flip flop and a politically authoritarian government. Stability is today the most important priority for the Chinese Communist party so that free speech, protests and other civil liberties are curtailed. Economic development is the more important activity and political development is lagging, but while economic development is racing ahead, Chinese political development improves only slowly. Dissidents like Liu Xiaobo are pushing the process.

This was an indirect criticism of Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Advisor to George W, Bush for not taking a role that Mazarr and many others believe she should have. On the other hand, President Bush selected her precisely because she shared his values and instincts. Perhaps, Bush should have selected and advisor who held a DIFFERENT view and perspective from himself. This quotation reveals the classic dilemma of political appointments of key advisors and cabinet members. Bush and Ronald Reagan tended to select advisors who agreed with them in philosophy and politics. FDR and Obama, followed the Lincoln tradition and appointed many advisors who were not intellectual clones of their own views and values.

This became a critically important quotation a half century after it was made. Judge Hand articulated the majority Western and Judeo-Christian value proposition between dissent and heresy. However, for the majority of the Islamic world, the reverse represents the majority value that is held. There is a minority in the West that agrees that avoidance of heresy is paramount and a minority of the Muslim world that agrees that the protection of dissent is the more important value, but the two civilizations were at odds in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, Islam is about 600 years younger than Christianity. 600 years ago, the Christian world agreed with the Muslim society and prevention of heresy was the more important value. The Reformation and the enlightenment followed by the world example of America produced a transformation and this may occur in the majority of the Islamic world in time.

"Extremists" as Flexner used the term were intellectual and philosophical extremists--at that time intellectual communists, fascists, atheists, libertarians, anarchists. In the 21st century, "extremists" tended to connote violence and terrorism. There were violent revolutionary communists, fascists and anarchists, but there were very few. Must were intellectual and philosophical advocates of the theories.

In science it is instinctive and necessary to accept and consider seriously contrary views because if not considered, we may go in an erroneous direction and not learn the truth. This instinct is just the opposite of the norm in politics. In partisan politics, ideology is a dominant driver, and ideas contrary to our ideology are rarely considered because of this logic: If the idea is wrong, we will just waste our valuable time and resources. If it might possibly be right, it would throw our ideology into question and this would cause too much disruption of shake our institutional values which are more important than one point. Besides, if we changed on the basis of a contrary thought, we would be accused of being a flip flopper with no basic principles. For scientists, change and expansion of ideas is essential to the advancement of science. In politics, most practitioner regard it as success if the can govern in the exact way that their political ideology guides them. Few want to reform or alter their ideology. Those who do so are either rejected by the body politic, or who become the greatest of our leaders and politicians.

The first sentence of this quotation was a favorite of Paine’s. As such he thought nothing of using it again in 1791. See {615405}.

then KGB leader. Khrushchev had rounded up and arrested an assortment of dissidents and non enthusiastic communists It was to culminate in 8 million arrests and 1 million executions.