Sidney Hook Quotes
To deny me the right to err is therefore to deny me the right to believe.
Sidney Hook, 1902-1989, Political Philosopher, “Religious Liberty From the Viewpoint of a Secular Humanist,” Earl Raab, Religious Conflict in America, 1964
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See Sidney Hook for a later, similar view: {603761} Ingersoll was considered to be the greatest orator and political thinker of his day, but his overt atheistic views curtailed his elected political career.
Spinoza was one of the most feared intellectuals in human history—feared that is by the established power structures. He is the only known person who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims—all were forbidden to read his works. He was the enemy of authority and advocated personal reason as the guide for men.
The actual phrase was first penned in 1917 by Harry Weinberger.
- Born: December 20, 1902
- Died: July 12, 1989
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Philosopher
Sidney Hook was an American philosopher of the pragmatist school known for his contributions to the philosophy of history, the philosophy of education, political theory, and ethics. After embracing communism in his youth, Hook was later known for his criticisms of totalitarianism, both fascism and Marxism–Leninism. A pragmatic social democrat, Hook sometimes cooperated with conservatives, particularly in opposing Marxism–Leninism. After World War II, he argued that members of such groups as the Communist Party USA and Leninists like democratic centralists could ethically be barred from holding the offices of public trust because they called for the violent overthrow of democratic governments.
