Forbidden Philosophy

Forbidden Philosophy

Restore Reason
"Truth, Freedom, Beauty, Romance"

Very few of us could - or, for that matter, would even want to - dispute the reason and logic behind the principles promoted by Enlightenment philosophers of the 18th century, namely:

• the concept of humanity as beings of free will, who can choose their own values, achieve their own goals, and control their own existence;
• the individual right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness;
• the separation of state and religious power from the natural rights of an individual;
• the equality of all people before the law, regardless of race, gender, religion, social status, or previous condition of servitude;
• the advance of society through knowledge and scientific inquiry.

The method by which these concepts were presented to the public, however, may be a bit more shocking.

According to Robert Darnton's The Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France, there were three primary categories of books the people of France were reading in the years leading up to the 1789 overthrow of the French monarchy (this material was oddly referred to as "philosophy books" by the merchants of the time in an attempt to hide the revolutionary nature of the material being sold).

The first two may seem somewhat obvious, even by today's standards:

• Utopian Fantasy: better known today as Science Fiction, these volumes dealt with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life, and were used as a framework to explore politics, identity, desire, morality, social structure, and other literary themes;
• Political Slander: better known today as Propaganda, these volumes unleashed a veritable barrage of lies and slanders against whatever adversary seemed the most dangerous, until the nerves of attacked persons broke down, resulting in the deconstruction of the legitimacy of the monarchy and the church.

The third has absolutely no equivalent today: Philosophical Pornography.

Interspersed between prurient tales and images of sexual dominance and submission, philosophical issues would be discussed by the characters portrayed in these books, including materialism, hedonism and atheism. Issues like "all phenomena are matter in motion," and "religion is a fraud, though useful for keeping the poor and working classes in line" were common topics for these discussions. These works also drew attention to the sexual repression of women, and rejected the notions of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the divine right of kings..

These issues became the spark that would eventually ignite a passion for an individual right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness (as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence), and fan them into the burning flames of revolution in both America and France.

Maybe this be why our message of individual rights, private property, non-aggression, and unregulated free trade has not been embraced by the entire world yet?

Just imagine what it would be like to watch an adult movie, and getting a philosophy lecture on the benefits of reason and self-esteem, and the dangers of faith and self-sacrifice, in between the scenes of hardcore sex.

Could be we've just been been promoting our message in the wrong places!



For more information on how to become a member of Restore Reason, click on the following link:

Become a Member of Restore Reason

Sign of the Dollar
Membership Pendant