Banning Books. Really?

Banning books in schools is terrible idea. It is totally reasonable and necessary to evaluate literature for age-appropriateness. I mean…no responsible educator would assign Beloved to third graders or have them read John C. Calhoun’s defense of slavery. But this is fundamentally different from banning books due to controversial content or differing perspectives. Once students reach an appropriate level of maturity, schools should provide access to a wide range of literature, including works that provoke discussion, raise difficult questions, and challenge prevailing assumptions.

The goal of a liberal arts education is not to protect students from uncomfortable ideas, but to prepare them to engage with the complexities of the world. When schools ban books based on political, religious, or ideological concerns, they deprive students of the opportunity to think independently and to learn how to navigate ideas with which they might not agree.

And this is what really burns my biscuits. Banning books undermines the principle of intellectual freedom, especially when there is an ideological agenda at work. The classroom should be a space where students are free to encounter different viewpoints and to examine them with honesty and rigor. There is no room in an educational environment for ideological orthodoxy. Whether the pressure to censor comes from the political right or left, it is equally damaging. Education should not be driven by the desire to enforce conformity of thought, but by a commitment to intellectual integrity and the development of independent judgment.

The notion that certain ideas are too dangerous for students to read is antithetical to the mission of education. Schools exist to foster inquiry, not to silence it. Controversial books often become targets precisely because they force readers to confront uncomfortable ideas or to re-examine deeply held beliefs. Yet it is through these moments of discomfort that learning happens. Students must be trusted to grapple with difficult material, ask hard questions, and come to their own conclusions. Shielding them from complexity is not a kindness—it is a disservice.

Remember friends, a strong education is not built on ideological purity or the avoidance of controversy.

With compliments,

Keith