MODEL Argument Essay
“It is dangerous to be right in matters about which the established authorities are wrong.”- Voltaire
Authority
For as long as authority has existed, there have been those who have challenged it, rebelled against it, and even refused to acknowledge it. Institutions that hold great power-the government, the church, public opinion—have dictated what is right and wrong to those under their control. However, when an individual’s personal convictions come into conflict with authority’s established morality, persecution, isolation, and other such punishments often follow. Voltaire was correct in his assertion that “it is dangerous to be right” in opposition to the status quo, as demonstrated in history and literature.
As science developed during the Renaissance and humans began to have a more objective understanding of the world, the church held vehemently to its tenets and persecuted those who contradicted its teachings. Italian astronomer Galileo, whose observations played a pivotal role in our model for the solar system, was one such man who suffered greatly for his non-Christian hypotheses. Though Galilieo’s theories were indeed correct, the Church nonetheless suppressed his work and placed him under house arrest. Similarly, during the 1950’s, McCarthyism swept America, as the government tried to root out “Communists.” For the few who condemned the inherent immorality of McCarthy’s campaign and tactics, the result was that they too would be blacklisted and effectively ruined. In contradicting the Church and the government, independent thinkers have suffered greatly for “being right” throughout history.
The dangers of questioning authority have not been neglected in world literature. In Milan Kundera’s,”The Joke,” the protagonist Ludvik is expelled from the university and the Communist Party for making comments derogatory to the Party. Though his criticisms would certainly be deemed valid by later generations, his correct thinking is rewarded with isolation and prison-like punishment in the military. Fighting against both the establishment and the majority, Arthur Miller’s character John Proctor is indeed “right” that the Salem witch trials depicted in “The Crucible” are madness, and ruining the lives of innocent people. However, his unpopular beliefs only cause him danger as he, too, is soon labeled as a witch. These two protagonists, whose lone voices of reason decry the authorities “wrong” stance, suffer great dangers as a result of their challenges to the establishment. Voltaire’s claim has been continually confirmed by both history and literature.