Milton’s arguments in favor of freedom of press and expression in Areopagitica against the licensing order of June 1943

Areopagitica, a great pamphlet as well as a powerful piece of literature, is regarded as a standard defense of freedom of print and publication, though accomplished nothing at the time. It was written as an oration addressing both the houses; he himself was not a member of the parliament. It was a protest against the licensing order, passed by the contemporary parliament which argued the parliament to reconsider the order, showing bad effects of it; expressing a number of arguments in favour of reading all sorts of books as well as of freedom of press and expression. It also argues that if the purpose is to prevent the spread of ideas opposite to them, it will not be fulfilled, because there are many other ways to spread ideas. (So, we should not impose any licensing order or censorship.)

At first we are to know clearly what the licensing order is. The licensing order passed by the English parliament in June 1643 was designed to regulate and control the publication of newspaper, books pamphlets, tracts etc. It said “no books, pamphlets, or paper shall be henceforth printed, unless the same be first approved and licensed” by an authority or committee consisting of twenty men chosen from amongst the clergy.

Milton, praises the members of both lords and commons of England who have proceeded much in the way of liberty – however Milton says that his speech is not flattery and he is totally conscious of his position. So, he says to them that he does not advocate for a Utopia where ‘no grievance ever should arise’ but such a liberty where “complaints are freely heard, deeply considered, and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty attained that wise men look for.” As a result, Milton hopes that his appeal will be granted.

Milton does not deny the right or duty of the church and the government to keep a cautious eye upon the books published in the country. He does also not deny the power of books which are here compared to the mythological dragon’s teeth –

“I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive as those fabulous dragon’s teeth; and being sown up and down, may change to spring up armed men.”

But in order to suppress any bad effect of any book, if a good book is unfortunately destroyed, it will be more than killing a man and the loss is immeasurable. Milton argues the loss of barring/banning a good book in the following way –

“Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills the reason itself,” because “A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life”.

“The execution ends not in the slaying of an elemental life, but strikes at that ethereal and fifth essence, the breath of reason itself, which is more precious for a matter than other four elements, namely fire, water, earth and air.”

Now Milton shows a number of arguments in favour of reading all sorts of books as well as of freedom of thought and expression and deed:

Moses, Daniel and Paul were famous and skillful in all learning which could not probably be without reading their books of all sorts.

“Julian the Apostate made a decree forbidding Christians the study of heathen learning,” because he thought that by keeping them away from reading other books he would be able to make their knowledge limited.

If we want to be governed by dream, there is a dream recorded by Eusebius who after having been confused of reading all sorts of books, was ordered in a dream – “Read any books whatever come to thy hands, for thou art sufficient both to judge aright, and to examine each matter.”

“To the pure all things are pure, not only meats and drinks but all kinds of knowledge whether of good or evil; the knowledge can not defile; nor consequently the books, if the will and conscience be not defiled.”

Without any restriction God ordered Peter in a vision, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” Again, God supplied ‘manna’, a kind of food, to the Jews more than their need. Comparing reading with eating Milton says that as God himself does not impose any restriction upon eating, we also should not impose any censorship on reading or printing books.

Knowing, reading and collecting al sorts of opinion even the false ones help us to reach the truest one.

If we are to be governed by law and compulsion, what is the need of preaching?

Good and evil in this world are intermixed more inseparably than those confused seeds, imposed on ‘Psyche’ – a mythological character – to cull out. For this reason, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden could properly know the good after knowing the evil.

Milton says, “Assuredly we bring not innocence into the world, we bring impurity much rather: that which purifies us is trial, and trial is by what is contrary.” So without knowing both good and evil properly we can not pass the trial. For this reason, in order to know both good and evil we can not but read all sorts of books. However, in this case, our conscience will help us to be governed by the good.

Then Milton says that if the purpose of the licensing order is to prevent the spread of ideas, opposite to theirs and to prevent the infection resulted from books, it will not be fulfilled. Because books are merely one of the many other ways of communication and of spreading ideas. Milton says, “Evil manners are as perfectly earned without books a thousand other ways which can not be stopped.”

Moreover, Milton compares the licensing order to “the exploit of that gallant man who thought to pound up the crows by shutting his park gate.” It suggests that since by shutting the park gate, we can not prevent the crows to enter into the park, by licensing order, we can also not prevent the spread of ideas.