“The argument against the persecution of opinion does not depend upon what the excuse for persecution may be. The argument is that we none of us know all truth, that the discovery of new truth is promoted by free discussion and rendered very difficult by suppression.”

Thank God for the internet. Use it while we have it!

Anon, I agree

That is why I have no problem discussing the very real possibility that most of our belief systems are far from the truth. For a great many, that is heresy and sacrilege, and a justification for all manner of persecution. For some, discovering that they have spent a lifetime believing in a con is too much to bear. It is easier to simply discredit and/or silence the messenger.

The stifling of opinions is nothing more than the censorship of ideas. Many colleges today, with their "codes of conduct" and "free speech zones" and other "politically correct" speech and thought controls need to read and understand this quotation from Bertrand Russell.