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BOOK REVIEWS The Freedom to Read. By R. McKEoN, R. K. MERTON, W. GELHORN. New York: R. R. Bowker, 1957. Pp. 105 with index. $~.50. If a reviewer for The Thomist could use the approach and vocabulary of The Freedom to Read, this is how he might begin: An extra-legal pressure group, the National Book Committee, has sponsored this attack on censorship. It was written with the help of a grant from the Fund for the Republic, well known for its support of this type of agitation. This deliberate attempt to influence legislation and government agencies, and public opinion as well, poses an obvious threat to our democratic way of life. To expose the alleged " errors " of those who defend censorship, this book builds upon basic assumptions which are accepted a priori and not admitted to debate. We are convinced that these censorious critics, representing private organizations, have exaggerated the alleged dangers of censorship to our democratic institutions, and have here supported their stand by fallacious argument. The above is a sample in reverse of the whole tone of this book. The National Book Committee describes itself as" a society of citizens devoted to the use of books." It seeks as one of its objectives " to foster the conditions in which diverse ideas and manners of expression can find both publication and readers." In explaining the origin of this book the Committee says: " Recognizing that abridgments of the freedom to read pose a serious threat to a democratic society, the Committee engaged Professors McKeon, Merton and Gellhorn (distinguished philosopher, sociologist, and professor of law respectively) as a special Commission to explore the motivations and objectives of the censors and the implications of censorship in America. The Freedom to Read is the report of that Commission." These statements contain no warning that here the professors have turned into pamphleteers. One of the authors, Dr. Richard McKeon, is from the University of Chicago, and the other two, Dr. Robert K. Merton and Dr. Walter Gellhorn , teach at Columbia University. We have learned from The Hidden Persuaders how in recent years the advertising agencies have been holding consultations with psychologists and social scientists in planning campaigns . Now it would appear that the teachers are taking lessons from the admen. To put it another way, this book looks as though it went to the publishers from Morningside Heights by way of Madison Avenue. All the standard techniques used to sell soap and cigarettes are here in abundance : testimonials from experts (here they wear the black gowns of pro195 196 BOOK REVIEWS fessors, not the white coats of physicians), repetition of slogans, unproved assumptions, appeals to prejudice and fear, and so on. In short, to revise one well-worn gem of huckster genius, if you want a tract instead of a treatise, read this book. Though this purports to be an objective and scholarly study of an important and complex problem, bias is evident from the outset. The slanted language of the propagandist is found in this sample from the second page of the Preface, signed by the Freedom to Read Subcommittee, where the study is described in part in this way: "An investigation into the two broad views of freedom generally held by Americans today: on the one hand, freedom as meaning complete liberalism (e. g., Holmes); on the other, freedom as involving a commitment to certain values and fixed beliefs (e. g., some church groups). Put another way: no limitation on thought or expression, as against a priori acceptance of certain underlying principles, which are not admitted to debate." (p. vi) The " complete liberalism " espoused by the authors, of course, is far from being based on undebatable a priori principles. Nor do they have any "commitment to certain values and fixed beliefs," except, possibly, a commitment to non-commitment. And ih case anyone missed the point, these two definitions of freedom are repeated later with the same slant. For example, "Freedom, conceived as acting as one should, is developed in moralities inculcated by precept and imperative. Freedom, conceived as acting as one pleases, is developed in moralities of achievement and advancement in knowledge and values. The two moralities are fundamentally opposed ... a...

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