Forbidden knowledge
Encyclopedia
Forbidden knowledge, different than secret knowledge, is used to describe forbidden books or other information to which access is restricted or deprecated for political or religious reasons. Forbidden knowledge is commonly not secret, rather a society or various institutions will use repressive mechanisms to either completely prevent the publication of information they find objectionable or dangerous (censorship
), or failing that, to try to reduce the public's trust in such information (propaganda
). Public repression can create paradoxical situation where the proscribed information is generally common knowledge but publicly citing it is disallowed.
A rich set of examples exist through history. Well known to Western readers are forbidden books as defined by the Roman Catholic church in the last few centuries. Through the years of isolation in Japan
and China
all Western literature was forbidden. Recent (20th century) repressive regimes (e.g. communism
in Eastern Europe
and China) placed strong restrictions on so called "foreign propaganda". In many cases this resulted in people defending themselves by creating political jokes. Jokes through history have been a powerful instrument to undermine state authority and the public truth associated with it.
Today's (2005) examples in repressive regimes are still uncountable but even liberal societies sometimes impose limits to the freedom of the individual to spread information that is not politically correct
. For example, Germany
bans the publication of certain books associated with the Nazi
regime (most prominently, Hitler's Mein Kampf
). The United States
now (after 2001) limits the publication of formerly freely available information which can potentially be related to the production of biological and nuclear weapons.
in most Western societies mostly prevents religious organizations from repressing individuals based on their personal opinions and beliefs. As well, people are generally allowed to leave employment with a company which may regulate such personal expressions for whatever reason and find employment in less restrictive circumstances.
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
), or failing that, to try to reduce the public's trust in such information (propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
). Public repression can create paradoxical situation where the proscribed information is generally common knowledge but publicly citing it is disallowed.
A rich set of examples exist through history. Well known to Western readers are forbidden books as defined by the Roman Catholic church in the last few centuries. Through the years of isolation in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
all Western literature was forbidden. Recent (20th century) repressive regimes (e.g. communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and China) placed strong restrictions on so called "foreign propaganda". In many cases this resulted in people defending themselves by creating political jokes. Jokes through history have been a powerful instrument to undermine state authority and the public truth associated with it.
Today's (2005) examples in repressive regimes are still uncountable but even liberal societies sometimes impose limits to the freedom of the individual to spread information that is not politically correct
Politically Correct
Politically Correct may refer to:*Political correctness, language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seeking to minimize offence to groups of people-See also:*Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, book by James Finn Garner, published in 1994...
. For example, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
bans the publication of certain books associated with the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
regime (most prominently, Hitler's Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
). The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
now (after 2001) limits the publication of formerly freely available information which can potentially be related to the production of biological and nuclear weapons.
Sociological and political relevance
Some form of public repression of facts or speculation not desirable to some people or even a majority of the population seems inevitable as societies need to create some common basis of facts to create a unified identity. Critical to political and personal freedom is the level to which this repression is organized through the state or powerful private organizations. Western secular societies have reached the consensus through the late 19th and early 20th centuries that private organizations should not be allowed to engage in compulsory censorship, forcing people to obey their dictates. For example, the separation of church and stateSeparation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
in most Western societies mostly prevents religious organizations from repressing individuals based on their personal opinions and beliefs. As well, people are generally allowed to leave employment with a company which may regulate such personal expressions for whatever reason and find employment in less restrictive circumstances.
Further reading
- Beckett, C (1989) Forbidden Knowledge, New ScientistNew ScientistNew Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
121(1649), 76. - Blatt, IB (1998) Freud and Forbidden Knowledge, Journal of Religion and Health 37(3), 290.
- Johnson, DG (1999) Reframing the Question of Forbidden Knowledge for Modern Science, Science and Engineering Ethics 5(4), 445.
- Schrag, B et al. (2003) Forbidden Knowledge – A Case Study with Commentaries Exploring Ethical Issues and Genetic Research, Science and Engineering Ethics 9(3), 409.
- Wendl, MC (2005) The Question of Forbidden Knowledge, ScienceScience (journal)Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
308(5728), 1549. - Kempner, J., Merz, J. F. and Bosk, C. L. (2011), Forbidden Knowledge: Public Controversy and the Production of Nonknowledge. Sociological Forum, 26: 475–500. doi: 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01259.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01259.x/abstract