Thoughtcrime
Encyclopedia
In the dystopia
n novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell
, a thoughtcrime is an illegal type of thought.
In the book, the government
attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thought
s of its subjects, labelling disapproved thought as thoughtcrime or, in Newspeak
, "crimethink".
In the book, Winston Smith
, the main character, writes in his diary: "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death."
of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four whose job it is to uncover and punish thoughtcrime. The Thought Police use psychology
surveillance
to find and eliminate members of society who are capable of the mere thought of challenging ruling authority.
The Thought Police
of Orwell and their pursuit of thoughtcrime were based on the methods used by the totalitarian
states and competing ideologies
of the 20th century. It also had much to do with, as Orwell called it, the "power of facing unpleasant facts", and his willingness to criticize prevailing ideas which brought him into conflict with others and their "smelly little orthodoxies".
The term "Thought Police", by extension, has come to refer to real or perceived enforcement of ideological correctness.
s which could inform the government, misinform and monitor the population. The citizens of Oceania are watched by the Thought Police
through the telescreens. Every movement, reflex, facial expression, and reaction is measured by this system, monitored by the Ministry of Love
.
At times, it seems as if the telescreen is constantly watching each citizen. Winston Smith recognizes that he has no idea who is behind the technology, watching him or anyone else.
Because of this system of surveillance, the Thought Police and the Ministry of Love become universally feared by any member of the Outer Party or any one of the 'Proles' who is capable (or felt by the Party to be capable) of thoughtcrime.
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
by George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, a thoughtcrime is an illegal type of thought.
In the book, the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thought
Thought
"Thought" generally refers to any mental or intellectual activity involving an individual's subjective consciousness. It can refer either to the act of thinking or the resulting ideas or arrangements of ideas. Similar concepts include cognition, sentience, consciousness, and imagination...
s of its subjects, labelling disapproved thought as thoughtcrime or, in Newspeak
Newspeak
Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it refers to the deliberately impoverished language promoted by the state. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix in which the basic principles of the language are explained...
, "crimethink".
In the book, Winston Smith
Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
, the main character, writes in his diary: "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death."
Thought Police
The Thought Police (thinkpol in Newspeak) are the secret policeSecret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four whose job it is to uncover and punish thoughtcrime. The Thought Police use psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
to find and eliminate members of society who are capable of the mere thought of challenging ruling authority.
The Thought Police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
of Orwell and their pursuit of thoughtcrime were based on the methods used by the totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
states and competing ideologies
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
of the 20th century. It also had much to do with, as Orwell called it, the "power of facing unpleasant facts", and his willingness to criticize prevailing ideas which brought him into conflict with others and their "smelly little orthodoxies".
The term "Thought Police", by extension, has come to refer to real or perceived enforcement of ideological correctness.
Technology and thoughtcrime
Technology played a significant part in the detection of thoughtcrime in Nineteen Eighty-Four—with the ubiquitous telescreenTelescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
s which could inform the government, misinform and monitor the population. The citizens of Oceania are watched by the Thought Police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
through the telescreens. Every movement, reflex, facial expression, and reaction is measured by this system, monitored by the Ministry of Love
Ministry of Love
The Ministry of Love is one of the four ministries that govern Oceania in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four....
.
At times, it seems as if the telescreen is constantly watching each citizen. Winston Smith recognizes that he has no idea who is behind the technology, watching him or anyone else.
Because of this system of surveillance, the Thought Police and the Ministry of Love become universally feared by any member of the Outer Party or any one of the 'Proles' who is capable (or felt by the Party to be capable) of thoughtcrime.
See also
- CensorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
- Free willFree will"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
- Freedom of thoughtFreedom of thoughtFreedom of thought is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints....
- Gatekeeping (communication)Gatekeeping (communication)Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, be it publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other type of communication. As an academic theory, it is found in several fields, including communication studies, journalism, political science, and sociology...
- Hate crimeHate crimeIn crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
- Hate speechHate speechHate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
- Institutional knowledge
- Intrusive thoughtsIntrusive thoughtsIntrusive thoughts are unwelcome involuntary thoughts, images, or unpleasant ideas that may become obsessions, are upsetting or distressing, and can be difficult to manage or eliminate. Most people experience these thoughts...
- Language and thoughtLanguage and thoughtA variety of different authors, theories and fields purport influences between language and thought.Many point out the seemingly common-sense realization that upon introspection we seem to think in the language we speak...
- Ostracism
- Political correctnessPolitical correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
- ThoughtcrimesThoughtcrimesThoughtcrimes is a 2003 film.It is about a high school student named Freya McAllister who begins hearing voices in her head and ends up misdiagnosed as having schizophrenic catalepsy...
, a 2003 film
External links
- Cunningham & Cunningham, Inc. "Thought Crime".
- The Essayist, "Hate Crime Premise" July 24, 1998.
- Evenson, Brad, "Looking for thoughtcrime to crimestop". National Post, February 8, 2003.
- Peabody, Michael "Thought & Crime," Liberty Magazine, March/April 2008.
- Reuters, "Thoughtcrime a Reality: U.S. Toughens Child Pornography Law". October 2, 1996.
- Guardian report: MPs criticise lock-up plan for mentally ill. July 25, 2000.
- Michael David Crawford: "My Deepest Fear" September 6, 2006.