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> The word ancient emphasises the fact that intellectual freedom is a deep-rooted tradition without which our characteristic western culture could only doubtful
by slibhb 5y ago
> The word ancient emphasises the fact that intellectual freedom is a deep-rooted tradition without which our characteristic western culture could only doubtfully exist. From that tradition many of our intellectuals arc visibly turning away. They have accepted the principle that a book should be published or suppressed, praised or damned, not on its merits but according to political expediency.
Orwell sounds almost exactly like a modern "anti-woke" blogger.
- awb 5y ago1984 is a great cautionary tale of fiction. I think it’s a misapplication of the medium to place the themes of a fictional narrative on top of reality though. Reality is way more complex than these broad stroke rebukes of intellectuals.
- sitkack 5y agoIt is an allegory, to take anything it says on face value is to miss the point.
- awb 5y agoThe point of 1984 is perfectly clear and poignant. The point of a broad swipe at intellectuals however does escape me.
- krageon 5y agoYou have not addressed what the poster said. > I think it’s a misapplication of the medium to place the themes of a fictional narrative on top of reality though This is not the point of an allegory. You say this is clear to you, but from what you say it clearly is not.
- awb 5y agoI’m saying it’s a misapplication of a fiction novel to take the themes of 1984 and use them as a broad swipe at intellectualism in the real world.
- snakeboy 5y agoPerhaps it is still repeated since it's a good point. Although my impression is that most of the anti-woke bloggers/podcasters are hucksters looking to ride the polemic for fame and money rather than intellectually-interested in freedom of the press.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ZeroGravitas 5y agoHe also wrote a complaint about how socialism attracts all sorts of crazy characters, which he felt were holding back his own version of socialism, like: * people with beards * sandal wearers * fruit juice drinkers * vegetarians * pacifists * feminists * sex-maniacs By that last one he meant gay people, in fact he possibly was thinking of one specific guy who sounds like a total legend nowadays but was a controversial character at the time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Carpenter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Carpenter > Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English utopian socialist, poet, philosopher, anthologist, an early activist for gay rights[1] and prison reform whilst advocating vegetarianism and taking a stance against vivisection.
- jhbadger 5y agoI assume you are talking about the rant in The Road to Wigan Pier. Orwell was certainly culturally conservative and by "sex maniacs" he did mean gay people but also heterosexual free-love enthusiasts. Orwell's ideal of a socialist (which he describes in the book) is a man who works in a factory who has a stay-at-home wife who takes care of his children and who likes solidly "English" things like eating beef and drinking beer. He didn't like the counterculture at all.
- graphpercolator 5y ago