Daniel Snowman
The History (and Meaning) of Censorship: Part 1, Introduction

In this new 5-part series of illustrated lectures, Daniel examines what we mean by “censorship”—its history, meaning, and impact from ancient times to the present (and possibly beyond).

What do we mean by “censorship,” and what has it meant, with all its variations, over the course of history? In this opening lecture, Daniel touches on, among other topics: the attempt to pursue “rationality” by Socrates in ancient Athens; historical language and literature no longer considered acceptable; apparent conflicts between biblical “truth” and that of the latest science; historic declarations of human rights; Nazi destruction of books by Jewish authors; and modern instances (and attempted censorship) of antisemitic and anti-Islamic forms of public expression in our increasingly digital world.