John Milton’s Defence of Freedom of the Press

John Milton (1608-1674) is perhaps known best for his epic poem Paradise Lost. But he also gained international acclaim because of a pamphlet he wrote in 1644, in which Milton argued against censorship and defended free speech and freedom of the press. This was the Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing. It…

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Protect People, Not What They Believe

On the 25th March 2010, the UNHCR, an agency that protects and supports refugees, passed a resolution that hoped to combat the ‘defamation of religions’. In other words, support is still being given to the idea that an international blasphemy law should exist. Such a law would make it an offence to express disrespect or contempt…

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