history of censorship question
I've been thinking about the tension between free speech and censorship and other than a brief mention of Socrates (which somehow feels like muddying the waters?) I wasn't able to find anything about the history of this tension.
What forms did government censorship typically take before mass communication tech like the printing press and the internet, beyond leaders getting mad at dangerous popular speakers like Socrates?
history of censorship question
Do we know anything about ancient governments performing censorship of communications? Was that even a thing? Or, conversely, was it so normal and expected no one even really cared?
I'm trying to get a sense of how mass communication options impacted censoring efforts.
history of censorship question
@Cyborgneticz Is it really "censorship" if you just can't find any buyers of your work? :P
By that logic I'm being censored by Tor right now, lol.
history of censorship question
@eleanorkonik Lmao good point
history of censorship question
@eleanorkonik there are a few stories in Herodotus (writing a message on the wood of a tablet underneath the wax, tattooing it on the head of a slave)
history of censorship question
@bookandswordblog Fascinating!
history of censorship question
history of censorship question
@bookandswordblog @eleanorkonik I read those as stories of transmitting messages that are supposed to be secret, not as governments trying to block messages intended for the public.
history of censorship question
@eleanorkonik This is an interesting question. I'd expect if there was censorship say in ancient Rome, we wouldn't have some of Catullus poetry.
But if people relied on patronage perhaps unofficial censorship?