Those to whom intellectual freedom is personally important may be a minority in the community, but among them are the men of most importance to the future. We have seen the importance of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin in the history of mankind, and it is not to be supposed that the future will produce no more such men. If they are prevented from doing their work and having their due effect, the human race will stagnate, and a new Dark Age will succeed, as the earlier Dark Age succeeded the brilliant period of antiquity.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Religion and Science, 1935, chapt. 10: Conclusion
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/RS1935_10-050.HTM
* a brief comment:
Today, in democratic countries, overt state or societal suppression of freedom of thought and expression is rare. Nevertheless, even without direct repression, academic and intellectual freedom can still be undermined indirectly by the government of the day or by conservative forces. What kinds of cases come to mind?
United States. Conservative pressure has placed constraints on education. In a number of states--Florida and Texas, for instance-- lessons on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and LGBTQ-related topics have been restricted or removed under the banner of "parents' rights."
Japan. Three prominent examples readily suggest themselves.
Refusal to appoint members to the Science Council of Japan (2020). Then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declined to approve six scholars whom the government regarded as critical of its policies.
Steering universities toward military research and resulting self-censorship. With the Ministry of Defense's Security Technology Research Promotion Program, universities and research institutes may narrow their research agendas on their own initiative, and bias can arise toward fields favored by the government in the hope of securing funding.
Pressure on speech concerning the Okinawa base issue. Journalists and researchers critical of the government's stance on U.S. bases in Okinawa have been attacked as "anti-Japanese" by politicians and conservative media outlets.
In light of these circumstances, Today's Russell Quotation (see attached image) still strikes many observers as pertinent, even now that Donald Trump has been serving his second term as U.S. president since March 2025. Of course, those untouched by his policies--or who have profited from them-- may see the present moment as a personal "golden age" instead.
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