When the phrase “the right to think” was brought up at the start of English class, I was honestly confused and almost amused. I thought, “Who doesn’t have the right to think?”. Humans naturally think about whatever they want, whenever they want, and usually we do it without even noticing. You can’t control what you do and do not think. While reading Inherit the Wind, I began to understand the concept of that phrase and as the majority of the class has explained in their blogs, I realized it’s more about the right to express your thoughts and opinions rather than the actual process of thinking.

To me, the “right to think” is the right to come up with an idea and express it freely. It is the right to voice an open opinion on something without being penalized for it. During the John Scopes trial, this right was the key point. By just looking at the surface, you can see that Scopes was on trial for teaching evolution. If you dig a deeper, though, you will find that the right to think and express thoughts was the underlying and most important issue. Yes, the law said it was forbidden to teach evolution, but how can you charge someone for thinking about something in a certain way? How can you punish someone for having their own view on things?

In past history, people have been deprived of the right to think. It’s not that they didn’t have the right to think, it’s that a lot of times, most people didn’t have much to think about. People were taught things in a certain way, and they wouldn’t dare to go against those teachings. Most people never even considered doing so, though, because they weren’t aware of any alternatives. That was their way of life, and that’s the way it had always been. It wasn’t until discoveries and new beliefs emerged, that people really considered voicing a second opinion/view on things. With that, came great conflict that has since been resolved thanks to those who have dared to be different.

Our world wouldn’t have had the chance to advance and still wouldn’t be progressing if we didn’t have the right to think and gain the right to express those thoughts. Everyone should have equal opportunity to think what they want to think, believe what they want to believe, and say what they want to say. But, as Gunnar said, opinions and thoughts need to be expressed in appropriate places and in appropriate ways. With the right to think comes responsibility, and as long as you can express your view in a suitable manner, that right cannot and should not be taken away from you.