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jlkenneth's review against another edition
An long-form essay/speech written against English censorship in 1644; also the source which most heavily inspired the founding fathers in the writing of the First Amendment. Milton's argument for the necessity of reading many differing voices and opinions is a) deeply and unshakably Christian and b) a necessary look at freedom of speech today, particularly for more fundamentalist circles (homeschool community, I'm looking at you).
rose_purdy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
lisagreghi's review against another edition
1.0
Very many references are made through the text, making it very interesting. However the style was too heavy for my taste.
tome15's review against another edition
5.0
People who have never read a word of John Milton's poetry or prose are influenced by him every day. It is his view of heaven, hell, Satan, and Eden that almost everyone imagines when they conjure them up. But this short essay--the first serious argument in English on press freedom —is built into the fabric of our Constitution. We still use his arguments on the self-righting principle, the notion that given equal access to the public, good ideas chase the bad ones out of the marketplace, to defend libertarian views. Everyone from John Stuart Mill to Benjamin Franklin has echoed him.
mselaceyenglish's review against another edition
3.0
"Books are not absolutely dead things, but doe contain a potencie of life in them [...] hee who destroyes a good Booke, kills reason it selfe [...] a good Booke is the pretious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm'd and treasur'd up on purpose to a life beyond life”- John Milton, Areopagitica
A fiery polemic against Parliament's passing of the Licensing Order of 1643 which introduced pre-publication licensing and the registration of all authors, printers, and publishers. Milton raises some excellent questions in this text, such as: Who should have the authority over publishing rights? Should books be banned because they contain controversial views? And, should there be a limit to a person's freedom of speech? Like most of Milton's prose, it's a battle to get through but there are some beautiful passages like the one quoted above.
A fiery polemic against Parliament's passing of the Licensing Order of 1643 which introduced pre-publication licensing and the registration of all authors, printers, and publishers. Milton raises some excellent questions in this text, such as: Who should have the authority over publishing rights? Should books be banned because they contain controversial views? And, should there be a limit to a person's freedom of speech? Like most of Milton's prose, it's a battle to get through but there are some beautiful passages like the one quoted above.
electricdick's review against another edition
4.0
To paraphrase Milton: you need to have more faith in people, man.