“It is dangerous to be right in matters about which the
established authorities are wrong.”- Voltaire
Authority
For as long as
authority has existed, there have been those who have challenged it, rebelled
against it, and even refused to acknowledge it. Institutions that hold great
power-the government, the church, public opinion—have dictated what is right
and wrong to those under their control. However, when an individual’s personal
convictions come into conflict with authority’s established morality,
persecution, isolation, and other such punishments often follow. Voltaire was correct in his assertion that
“it is dangerous to be right” in opposition to the status quo, as demonstrated
in history and literature.
As science developed during
the Renaissance and humans began to have a more objective understanding of the
world, the church held vehemently to its tenets and persecuted those who
contradicted its teachings. Italian astronomer Galileo, whose observations
played a pivotal role in our model for the solar system, was one such man who
suffered greatly for his non-Christian hypotheses. Though Galilieo’s theories were indeed
correct, the Church nonetheless suppressed his work and placed him under house
arrest. Similarly, during the 1950’s,
McCarthyism swept America ,
as the government tried to root out “Communists.” For the few who condemned the
inherent immorality of McCarthy’s campaign and tactics, the result was that
they too would be blacklisted and effectively ruined. In contradicting the Church and the
government, independent thinkers have suffered greatly for “being right”
throughout history.
The dangers of
questioning authority have not been neglected in world literature. In Milan Kundera’s,”The Joke,” the
protagonist Ludvik is expelled from the university and the Communist Party for
making comments derogatory to the Party.
Though his criticisms would certainly be deemed valid by later
generations, his correct thinking is rewarded with isolation and prison-like
punishment in the military. Fighting
against both the establishment and the majority, Arthur Miller’s character John
Proctor is indeed “right” that the Salem
witch trials depicted in “The Crucible” are madness, and ruining the lives of
innocent people. However, his unpopular
beliefs only cause him danger as he, too, is soon labeled as a witch. These two protagonists, whose lone voices of
reason decry the authorities “wrong” stance, suffer great dangers as a result
of their challenges to the establishment.
Voltaire’s claim has been continually confirmed by both history and
literature.
0 comments