The second part of Volume 3 of the Harvard Classics covers two works from John Milton and Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici.
The more I read Volume 3, the more I realized I've probably bitten off more than I can chew. John Milton's a difficult read. He's brilliant, but I just felt stupid reading him. But I progressed on, even though Volume 4 was Milton's poems. I figured if I got through that, then I'd be able to handle most things. Probably.
Areopagitica, Milton's first work, was his gauntlet being thrown down regarding licensing and censorship in publishing. Dissent was generally stifled by fees attached to publishing, so if you wanted to publish something you needed permission and money - which were both in short supply. Licensing was a product of the Inquisition, which helped the English Parliament (full of Protestants) pay attention to Milton's arguments because this was a way for them to give a big middle finger to the Catholics.
In an argument that mirrors internet censorship, Milton argued that a licensing order really won't stop scandalous and unapproved books. Information wanted to be free. Even if the information was "bad," we could still learn something from it (like a modern day Tom Friedman book!) And by licensing books, we're stifling learning. It was very libertarian.
Eventually Parliament gave in - 52 years alter.
Milton's Of Education was a letter regarding education (obviously), arguing for moving away from medieval education of grammar, rhetoric and dialectic. Instead, Milton wanted to increase the scope of learning - including things like arithmetic, geography, religion, politics and rhetoric and logic. Makes sense to me, but at the time it was controversial. Milton wanted to prepare students for changes of society. Made sense to me.
What I got out of Milton's works is that our current issues regarding publishing, censorship and education are nothing new, and Milton was one in a long line of advocates of free speech and education to better themselves personally as well as better the state. Good things to read, although, not terribly exciting.
Thomas Browne wrote Religio Medici shortly after becoming a physician, and is one of the first memoirs. It's a spiritual journey, diving deep into Christian virtues and veers into everything from mysticism to alchemy to astrology. It was a difficult read, mainly because every paragraph was a confession of his devotion as a Christian. I understand this, but it was just tough to read.
Three volumes finished, 48 more to go. What the hell did I get myself into?
The more I read Volume 3, the more I realized I've probably bitten off more than I can chew. John Milton's a difficult read. He's brilliant, but I just felt stupid reading him. But I progressed on, even though Volume 4 was Milton's poems. I figured if I got through that, then I'd be able to handle most things. Probably.
Areopagitica, Milton's first work, was his gauntlet being thrown down regarding licensing and censorship in publishing. Dissent was generally stifled by fees attached to publishing, so if you wanted to publish something you needed permission and money - which were both in short supply. Licensing was a product of the Inquisition, which helped the English Parliament (full of Protestants) pay attention to Milton's arguments because this was a way for them to give a big middle finger to the Catholics.
In an argument that mirrors internet censorship, Milton argued that a licensing order really won't stop scandalous and unapproved books. Information wanted to be free. Even if the information was "bad," we could still learn something from it (like a modern day Tom Friedman book!) And by licensing books, we're stifling learning. It was very libertarian.
Eventually Parliament gave in - 52 years alter.
Milton's Of Education was a letter regarding education (obviously), arguing for moving away from medieval education of grammar, rhetoric and dialectic. Instead, Milton wanted to increase the scope of learning - including things like arithmetic, geography, religion, politics and rhetoric and logic. Makes sense to me, but at the time it was controversial. Milton wanted to prepare students for changes of society. Made sense to me.
What I got out of Milton's works is that our current issues regarding publishing, censorship and education are nothing new, and Milton was one in a long line of advocates of free speech and education to better themselves personally as well as better the state. Good things to read, although, not terribly exciting.
Thomas Browne wrote Religio Medici shortly after becoming a physician, and is one of the first memoirs. It's a spiritual journey, diving deep into Christian virtues and veers into everything from mysticism to alchemy to astrology. It was a difficult read, mainly because every paragraph was a confession of his devotion as a Christian. I understand this, but it was just tough to read.
Three volumes finished, 48 more to go. What the hell did I get myself into?
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