In our world of growing disinformation its timely to remember today is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, in Canada, where the Government is committed to reconciliation and ensuring the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten, through ongoing openness and transparency, something we need to remember in our present day. It was the lack of openness and transparency at the time which enabled the tragic injustice to Indigenous children to happen. Truth and Reconciliation cannot coexist with censorship. 

Similarly, censorship cannot coexist with scientific advancement. If we have one we cannot have the other. 

Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security, or in modern day circumstances anything that is not deemed true.

Science is the intellectual and practical activity of systematic questioning, hypothesising, testing and studying our physical and energetic world through observation, experiment and open debate. Open scientific interrogation leads to wisdom.

In the words of the late Grant Soosalu “True wisdom is the ability to comprehend multiple perspectives.”

Reflecting this, and looking at the world’s challenges with Covid, vaccinations, politics, religion, and climate change etc, it’s arguably about transparency of information, its only when we are allowed to consider the merits of all, can we truly make wise and informed decisions, rather than making ill-informed (ignorant) decisions with censorship and the curtailment of free speech.

So do you favour censorship or open debate and transparency including perceived disinformation? As Jonny Bowden states there are considerable benefits to allowing (perceived) disinformation.