Man’s Unconquerable Mind

Another great classic of the 20th century is a small nonfiction work by classics scholar and professor, Dr. Gilbert Highet, Man’s Unconquerable Mind. Published by Columbia University Press in 1954, it is extremely relevant to our situation in the world today. He speaks of possible wide mass destruction but with the consolation that the few who survive will be compelled to rebuild civilization if their minds are unimpaired. This is the period of history when wars would be fought with sticks and stones, according to Einstein.

But the chapter that inspires me to insist that every adult should read this book is the one on censorship. It’s easy to say that there should be no censorship in this country. One hears it from others and some adopt it without reasoning through the thought. But censorship in the USA is not illegal. No, it’s only Congress that shall not censor! The First Amendment to the Constitution says:

“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . .”

Highet says that every man [read “head of the family”] has the right and the duty to censor for himself and his family, and even his community so long as he can convince them he is making sense. This agrees with Christian teaching. Freedom can go too far. Nobel laureate, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who lived in America awhile, chose to return to his native Russia, reportedly because America had too much freedom! Anyone keeping up with the daily news in America can easily see this is true. Burning our nation’s flag is just one example; there is also the availability of instructions for making bombs found in various publications, including some encyclopedias. Such information should always be kept from certain individuals, those who have no sense of responsibility. Highet says a strict society has a better chance for survival than does a freer society.

I discovered this gem of a book when I was a member of Book-of-the-Month Club long ago. Gilbert Highet was one of the five or so judges who selected the book of the month. Publications by the judges were not eligible for selection, but the magazine did offer reviews of them. I ordered Highet’s MUM, as I call it, and have placed an order for it several times since then. When I had given away my last copy, I discovered it in hardback on the Net, and ordered one of those. It came as the same softcover edition which had a hard cover added, without book jacket. That tells me not only the book has been in demand all these years, but also readers wanted to preserve the book and someone had the bright idea of adding a hardcover to the original pages. It is college-level reading but it has been taught successfully on the advanced senior level of high school. A powerful book and it ought to be required reading for all who think seriously.