The Books Are Already Burning. How long will decent people stand by quietly and watch it happen?\
Fear of ostracism is rational. But we are now living in a world in which evolutionary biologists are threatened with losing their platforms for engaging in debate about the source and treatment of a deadly virus; in which prize-winning composers have been professionally ruined for saying arson is bad; in which authors are editing already-published books to placate online mobs. That should scare us far more than losing friends or status.
That is precisely the
reason it is so important to stand up and say: no. To say: progress comes only
when we have the freedom to disagree. To say: It is outrageous that tech
platforms are censoring such debates and that some journalists are cheering
them on. To say, in public: enough. In my case, that means
making sure to publish those voices who have been shut out of so many other
channels that ought to be open to themm.