Areopagitica

About “Areopagitica”

Areopagitica is a 1644 prose polemic written by John Milton, an English poet and scholar, in opposition to the Licensing Order of 1643. This order reintroduced censorship of books during the First English Civil War. The work is a powerful defense of freedom of speech and expression, and it is considered one of the most influential philosophical arguments for this right in history. Many of the ideas presented in Areopagitica have shaped modern justifications for free speech. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)