Western democracies always speak about freedom of expression. They say it’s a basic right and a sign of a free society. But in reality, they don’t respect it. In this way, they are not very different from third-world countries or dictatorships.The only difference is how they limit this freedom. Dictatorships use force and fear in a very obvious and old-fashioned way. On the other hand, Western democracies use more "smart" or modern methods. I always remember this strange fact when I see what happens between the U.S. government and universities. It feels like we are all working for the same goal — to silence voices — just with different tools.
I don't particularly enjoy writing. For me, the natural space for ideas is dialogue, like any act of communication. Good ideas are born in dialogue and only later find their way onto paper in one form or another. Ideas flow through oral culture, growing like a small tree. They evolve, change, and adapt as they are shared. Every conversation, every verbal exchange, enriches them, adding layers of meaning and nuance over time. Many philosophers and writers did not practice writing. Socrates, never wrote anything himself. He believed that true philosophy should be practiced through oral dialogue, not static writing. Our knowledge of his ideas comes primarily through his student, Plato. The same applies to both the Buddha and al-Hallaj, Michel de Montaigne (often expressed doubt about the value of writing) and Ludwig Wittgenstein (who believed that words could never fully capture reality.) On the other hand, writing has preserved history for us. Through it, we have captured the past, r...
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