Authoritarianism Is Theocracy (And Other Short Takes)

In the 1979 film Caligula, a biographical depiction of the life of the Roman Emperor of the same name, Caligula says the following before becoming determined to destroy Rome’s senatorial class:

I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night. Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man, and therefore I am a god.

This is the mindset of all authoritarians, both secular and religious in nature. Joseph Stalin banned religion in the Soviet Union because he feared that people believing in god would diminish his power. Meanwhile, religious authoritarians like those who ruled during the Middle Ages said that god had personally given them the right to rule over people however they see hit. This is because authoritarian governments are theocratic in nature, and the religion of choice is that of the leader.

Censorship, the attempt to control what people can express, is an attempt to play god. It is you saying that you should have so much control over the universe that you can personally figure out what thoughts people should be allowed to think, what words people should be allowed to say, and what ideas people should be allowed to express. Even if the authoritarianism is not as over the top as in places like North Korea —…