Sensible censorship? In Plato's Republic, Socrates argued that stories affect the souls of those who hear them. Considering this, he went on to argue that censorship was not only necessary but also beneficial to society. Socrates wanted to censor those parts of poetry, arts, and sciences that were neither productive nor beneficial to society. He believed that poetry was neither philosophical nor pragmatic and did not lead to true knowledge. Rather, he found it unethical, leading to desires and passions. He thus declared it inferior to the practical arts and devoid of educational value. I agree with Socrates' goal of protecting the world from such lies. Our minds are like sponges, and in order to protect us from absorbing/effects of unnecessary and harmful practices, there must be a filter. Such a filter would protect/preserve what is moral and good in society, including the innocence of young people. This can be encouraged by banning inappropriate elements of popular culture, including suggestive film content, explicit song lyrics, and false information shared and displayed in the media, and replacing them with beneficial practices. So how does the world affect us? Can these “harmless stories” really harm our souls? Yes! We are a product of our environment. We imitate those around us to be accepted. We conform to what society considers normal or desirable in an effort to “fit in.” For example, a student might go to Baylor University, majoring in engineering, meet supportive and encouraging “nerd” friends, and join a church life group. This same student could have just as easily attended the University of Texas, joined a sorority, embraced the “party life,” and gotten pregnant. is looked at, seen, read and heard could begin to help protect society as a whole. Socrates sought to amputate part of the corpse for the benefit of the body as a whole. Censorship is necessary if we are to allow a society to function in accordance with its city in its speech. Unfortunately, he also points out that because society is composed of fallen and fallible men, it would eventually pass through the four unjust constitutions of city and man. Timocracy would eventually give way to oligarchy, degenerating in turn into democracy. Democracy would eventually descend completely into tyranny. Spiritually (in the Christian sense) we will probably never achieve lasting change because our fallen nature can only be corrected by a change of heart, and this can only be accomplished by God and not by human institutions...