Hans Eysenck Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"If you admit that to silence your opponent by force
is to win an intellectual argument,
then you admit the right to silence people by force."

by:	Hans Eysenck (1916-1997) German-born psychologist, spent professional career in Great Britain
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Categories:	Authority, Censorship, Coercion, Dissent, Oppression, Respect, Totalitarian
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Reader comments about this quote:

ahh yes, the new Amerika with its socialistic/fascist ways. Security with a chicken in every pot (not). -- Mike, Norwalk
Liberals (and socialists, fascists, communists) will say, "But sometimes you must silence people by force." The problem of course, is THEY are the moral people to decide who should be silenced and have their rights ignored. -- Joe, Rochester, MI 1
True, but a circular and redundant sentence. -- EGL, LA
Silencing an opponent by force is that precise opposite of winning an intellectual argument. -- Bob, Eugene, OR 1
To bad it seems that the four previous readers have misparsed this quote... the author seems to be agreeing with their position that silencing people by force is bogus and wrong. As is also typical, Joe not only misread the quote, but also had to insult all who disagree with him, revealing his true self... -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US
Yes, I agree with the quote -- I do not agree with silencing people by force. -- E Archer, NYC 3
I agree. Silencing the opposition through aggression to win a rational debate isn't any different than forcing another to submit with aggression. Either way you're forcing compliance and taking authority. The only difference is in the latter there is not even any pretense of discussion. -- Anonymous 2
I agree with Anonymous and Archer. (Also, fascism and communism are two completely different things, Joe). -- Anonymous 1
When one speaks of peace through prosperity and responsibility at Liberty, the Matstsah debate, comes forth, the contentious quarrel begins. -- Ronw13, OR
Ron, what is 'Matstsah'? -- E Archer, NYC
How about the Anti-fa mobs closing down rallies and speeches — and this is 'anti' fascist? How about all the book burning going on at Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter? This IS fascism! -- E Archer, NYC 2
Most simply, socialism is any of various systems advocating / implementing collective or governmental ownership, control and administration of property, capital, common welfare, the means of production and distribution of good. Communism and fascism are forms of socialism with differing methodologies of administration. Communism’s ten planks by one degree or another have been implemented in the U.S. contrary to Constitutional limitations. Fascism (Mussolini’s corporatism, Hitler’s slightly modified administration) has fully embraced said ten planks while administering through corporatism. When socialism is implemented through moral constructs, it becomes a formal religion – a staist theocracy. -- Mike, Norwalk 2
Those who are reasonable, generally, regard resorts to the use of force as being measures of last resort. Those who are morally and ethically incapacitated cannot but be intellectually stultified, and are, in their accordant unreasononableness, reflexive in their resorts to the use of force. The most certain measure, perhaps, of moral, ethical and, by natural extension, intellectual incapacitation, and an attendant inability to win an intellectual argument, is an impulsive propensity for the use of force. -- Patrick Henry, Red Hill 1
The idea of silencing people by force is how the pathetically sick and disgusting cowardly Mental Amoeba ANTIFA Mobs think. -- Mary, MI 1
Do all you people have your head in the sand? The last thing America can be called is Socialist, Liberal, or Left. America is without doubt is a Narcissistic Oligarchic Fascist State. After 250 years America has ended up with this cocktail, a cocktail which undoubtedly will be its demise. If only America did good around the world instead of destroying countries and killing millions of people, things may have been different. Alas, I believe we have gone to far down skid row to avoid a catastrophe. The whole dirty system of a fiat economy and its consequences of a corrupt society/government will implode. By the way, Matstsah is a Hebrew word basically meaning quarrel..... -- Robert, Somewhere in the USA 1
I make the distinction between America, Americans, and the US government — they are not all one and the same. The US government has become a statist, authoritarian, oligarchy, indeed. America is still a free nation of free sovereign people founded upon the inherent natural born rights of humankind — this hasn't changed. Americans are a product of their education, but not just what they are taught but what they learn in the field. Contrary to popular belief, a community is not kept safe by its regulators but by the very 'code' of the people themselves who are self-governing. That is the ideal. -- E Archer, NYC 1
When one talks of right and left, Liberty is not even found on the scale. Communism is on the Left end of socialism and Fascism is on the Right end of socialism — both are Authoritarianism which reside at the Bottom, whereas Liberty resides at the Top. -- E Archer, NYC 2
Does the mentally healthy individual want to argue or find solutions? Does the mentally healthy ever want silence the individual of reason? -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown
Correction: Does the mentally healthy individual ever want to argue or do they just want solutions to problems? Does the mentally healthy individual ever intend to silence the individual of reason? And pretty please, could you name an individual with an intellect? -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 1
Sillik, I'm really interested, please enlighten us on your definition of "intellect". -- Mike, Norwalk

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