The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind

The Quote:

This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it. – Thomas Jefferson on the Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind

My Thoughts:

Thomas Jefferson’s quotations always inspire me. Like Marcus Aurelius’s exhortation to get out of bed and build something or Patrick Henry’s demand for liberty or death, Thomas Jefferson’s quotes about liberty serve as a sort of inner rallying cry for me.

This quotation of his on the illimitable freedom of the human mind is no different. Written about the University of Virginia, which he founded, it should be the motto of every university in America.

Our institutions of higher learning are meant to be places where students can learn, follow the truth, and speak freely. Without an atmosphere conducive to those activities, no real discovery of truth can happen. Instead, students just spend hours in an echo chamber of the same tired old tropes that their professors learned.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case today. While Jefferson certainly understood that both good ideas and bad ideas are free speech, many modern liberals don’t (which is one of the many reasons why liberalism has failed). Instead, free speech is banned on many college campuses and liberal virtue-signaling wins the day. Ignorant and otherwise pathetic socialist college students use that virtue signaling to impress their liberal peers and liberal professors. It is a sad state of affairs.

Conclusion

Jefferson’s quotation about the illimitable freedom of the human mind needs little explanation. Like the rest of his works, it is absolutely excellent and crucial for all Americans to understand.

But, college students, in particular, should pay attention to it. Like Washington’s quotation on studying politics, it directly relates to the college experience and what is learned during it.

It is so sad the many college administrators today have forgotten Jefferson’s opinion about the illimitable freedom of the human mind. Instead of fully exploring truth, they only explore their own opinions and force students to agree with them. That is offensive to the very idea of a liberal arts education and if you ever find yourself in the presence of one of those professors, you should disagree with them.

Agreeing with their liberal, anti-truth ideology is evil. Don’t do it!