Why are we doing this?

“Any book worth banning is a book worth reading,” according to Isaac Asimov. 

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them,” warns Joseph Brodsky.

This is the start of a new series. Kevin and Shang embark on the Odyssean - and perhaps Sisyphean - venture into the netherworld of Banned Books, into the country of controversy. By “banned” we do not mean that the pieces we cover were literally banned by some entity somewhere over some time - these books simply have to possess a certain potential for controversy. It is equally important to note that “banned” is not limited to our times either! The Bible was actually banned at one time and still is banned in certain parts of the world today. This qualifies it as a banned book for this series.

You may find future conversations in this series enjoyable or uncomfortable, but you will certainly find them illuminating either way. There is much to be gained from going into the heart of the heat – gold is purified by fire, and diamonds are made under pressure after all.

Remember this disclaimer: just because we present a certain theory does not mean we agree with it. Neither does it mean the perspective has no value because we disagree with it. We may play devil’s advocate to what we agree and disagree with, only to serve the higher purpose of broadening our perspective. What we do present are pieces that we believe have gems buried deep within. There is much to be gained from these excerpts, whether as positive or negative examples. 

Ultimately, we entrust you, the viewer, with the intellectual capacity and critical literacy to hold your own opinions on the matters discussed here. We believe it is only by holding yourself accountable to reasoning that you can form opinions that are truly yours; that when you agree, it is you agreeing, and that when you disagree, it is you that is disagreeing. If you do not yet have your own fully developed opinions, we hope that, at the very least, you enjoy our conversations and that these intellectual adventures can be of service to you in the development of your own worldly views.