Censorship [sen′sər s̸hip′]
noun
- the practice of limiting access to information, ideas or books in order to prevent knowledge or freedom of thought.
A Brief History of Censorship
"Censorship is as old as human history"
-Censorship, Civil Rights in the United States, From Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Censorship has its roots in ancient history. The word censor can be traced back to the ancient Roman occupation of censor, which was responsible for the census of the population and acted as an overseer of public conduct. However, censorship was seen in civilizations even before the ancient Roman empire.
"In Rome, as in the ancient Greek communities, the ideal of good governance included shaping the character of the people. Hence censorship was regarded as an honourable task." |
One of the most famous examples of censorship in history is the condemnation of Socrates by the Athenian government. Socrates was forced to drink poison because his philosophies of questioning were viewed as “corrupting.” Because his methods were disliked by the government, they went so far as to kill him.
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One major use of censorship was the censorship of books, which originally was used by monasteries, which controlled the production of books, and therefore was able to decide what would be printed. However, after the invention of the printing press, governments were able to use censorship as a way of monitoring ideas in their nation.
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