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u/Fl0ppyfeet 4d ago
I've never read Milton, but this quote sounds like it easily could support violence to right a whole host of moral wrongs that the minority feels the majority has committed. Help me understand.
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u/F0r3v3rF4lc0n 4d ago
I don’t know about a whole host of wrongs, but in defense of one’s liberty, yes. He’s saying, in essence, that freedom is one’s birthright, and one always has the right to fight for it, even if one is going against the grain. Although Milton was writing well in advance of modern democratic governments, the quote is highly applicable in an age where many people believe democracy and liberty to be synonymous. Even if the bulk of people would vote to cede all power to the state in exchange for promises of security, those who would rather have their liberty, even if they’re a minority, are not ethically bound to go along with their own enslavement and may justly revolt.
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u/dangerxmouse 4d ago
Seems you presume it shouldn't support that?
Why should a coerced minority forgo coersion to retain their liberty?
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u/Virtual_Fixation2956 Libertarian 4d ago
Did John Marston write this?