On the record
The thing they call “innocence” I believe to be quite wanton ignorance, and, by its abridgment of freedom, it imprisons human personality in a fashion that is quite unpardonable.
Said by
Harold J. Laski
Source
gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “The thing they call “innocence” I believe to be quite wanton ignorance, and, by its abridgment of freedom, it imprisons…”
Editor's note · Context
Laski challenges the notion of 'innocence' as a form of ignorance that restricts personal freedom.
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More from Harold J. Laski
To deny novelty or grievance a right of expression is a certain, if, indeed, an ultimate, validation of the truth they contain.
Each age makes some idol in its own image and sacrifices upon its altar the freedom of those who refuse it worship.
The essence of the persecuting position is always that the persecutor has hold of truth and that he would betray its service by allowing it to be questioned.
The only way to deal with novelty is to understand it, and the only way to deal with grievance is to seek a remedy for the complaint it embodies.
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