In George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four the government attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thoughts of its subjects, labeling disapproved thoughts with the term thoughtcrime or, in Newspeak, "crimethink". Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 [1] [2] – 21 January 1950), better known by the pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. ... This article is about the philosophical concept and literary form. ... This article is about the Orwell novel. ... Personification of thought (Greek Εννοια) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey Thought or thinking is a mental process which allows beings to model the world, and so to deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. ... Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ...

In the book, Winston Smith, the main character, writes in his diary: Peter Cushing as Winston Smith in the 1954 BBC Television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, with Donald Pleasence as Syme. ...

He also makes remarks to the effect that "Thoughtcrime is the only crime that matters."

Thought Police

The Thought Police (thinkpol in Newspeak) were the secret police of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four whose job it was to uncover and punish thoughtcrime. The Thought Police used psychology and omnipresent surveillance to find and eliminate members of society who were capable of the mere thought of challenging ruling authority. This article is about secret police as organizations. ... Psychology (from Greek: ψυχή, psukhē, spirit, soul; λόγος, logos, knowledge) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. ... For other uses, see Surveillance (disambiguation). ...

Orwell's Thought Police and their pursuit of thoughtcrime was based on the methods used by the totalitarian states and competing ideologies of the 20th century. It also had much to do with Orwell's own "power of facing unpleasant facts," as he called it, and his willingness to criticise prevailing ideas which brought him into conflict with others and their "smelly little orthodoxies." Although Orwell described himself as a democratic socialist, many other socialists (especially those who supported the communist branch of socialism) thought that his criticism of the Soviet Union under Stalin damaged the socialist cause. OBrien (seen here played by André Morell in the 1954 television adaption), a secret Thought Police agent The Thought Police (thinkpol in Newspeak) is the secret police in George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... The concept of Totalitarianism is a typology or ideal-type used by some political scientists to encapsulate the characteristics of a number of twentieth century regimes that mobilized entire populations in support of the state or an ideology. ... Political Ideologies Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Democratic socialism is a political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვი&#4314...

The term "Thought Police," by extension, has come to refer to real or perceived enforcement of ideological correctness in any modern or historical contexts.

One could argue that long duration involuntary psychiatric treatment in the developed world is akin to the state 'punishing' people for thought-crime. You don't need to do anything wrong, you just have to think the wrong thoughts.

Soviet abuses

In the Soviet era, the USSR frequently used psychiatry as a weapon against dissidents. The diagnosis of sluggishly progressing schizophrenia was used to commit many dissidents to psychiatric hospitals (called Psikhushka in Russia), where they were then treated aggressively with psychoactive drugs. The Tom Stoppard play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is a fictionalized version of the Soviet experience with psychiatry used for this purpose. Natan Sharansky, among others, have written detailed accounts of their experiences as refusnik detainees in this system. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of the mind and mental illness. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Psikhushka (Russian: ) is a Russian colloquialism for psychiatric hospital. ... An assortment of psychoactive drugs A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. ... Sir Tom Stoppard, OM, CBE (born as Tomáš Straussler on July 3, 1937)[1] is an Academy Award winning British playwright of more than 24 plays. ... Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is a stage play by Tom Stoppard. ... Natan Sharansky (Hebrew: נתן שרנסקי, Russian: Натан Борисович Щаранский; born January 20, 1948) is a notable former Soviet anticommunist, Zionist, Israeli politician and writer. ... The word refusenik entered English language as a part of the Cold War lexicon to refer to those who were refused certain human rights, notably forbidden to emigrate. ...

Technology and thoughtcrime

Just as technology played a significant part in the detection of thoughtcrime in Nineteen Eighty-Four — with the ubiquitous telescreens which could inform the government, misinform and monitor the population — a number of technologies have been developed to try to detect thought and emotional states. Networks of CCTV cameras are being connected to image-recognition software that intends to detect possible wrongdoers by looking for signs of anxiety. Other technologies range from lie detectors, the penile plethysmograph which was used to try to detect "homosexual or pedophile thoughts", and on to more modern attempts to use magnetic resonance imaging to try to detect brain chemical activity supposedly corresponding to memory or thoughts. All of these technologies have been proposed at one time or another as a way of detecting "bad thoughts". Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Big Brothers face looms on giant telescreens in Victory Square Telescreens are featured in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Surveillance cameras. ... A polygraph or lie detector is a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being asked, in an attempt to detect lies. ... The penile plethysmograph (PPG) is a controversial type of plethysmograph that measures changes in blood flow in the penis in response to audio and/or visual stimuli. ... “MRI” redirects here. ...

In the media

• Frank Zappa and his band, the Mothers of Invention satirized the concept often, as a recurrent theme in their music, beginning as early as their first album, Freak Out! (1966) — where he pointedly asks the question "Who are the Brain Police?" — as well as in several later efforts such as Joe's Garage (1979) and 1985's Porn Wars.
• Philip K. Dick's story Minority Report and the 2002 movie by Steven Spielberg demonstrates the consequences of a world in which possible crime (called Pre-Crime) is punished in advance.
• Coldplay's song Spies depicts the general society illustrated in 1984 as well as the concept of thoughtcrime (with references to the Thought Police) and lack of freedom. It includes lines such as "I awake to see that no one is free. We're all fugitives, look at the way we live. Down here, I cannot sleep from fear, no. I said, which way do I turn? I forget everything I learn." and "And if we don't hide here, they're going to find us, and if we don't hide now, they're going to catch us when we sleep, and if we don't hide here, they're going to find us."
• One episode in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes finds Calvin once again objecting to compulsory education. In the middle of one of Miss Wormwood's lectures, Calvin cries out: "This is a big fat waste of my time!" The final panel shows Calvin trying to escape the room, screaming "HELP! IT'S THE THOUGHT POLICE!"
• Rock band Cheap Trick's song, Dream Police, is a direct reference to the Orwellian Thought Police. [Note: The "dream police" appear in author William S. Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch, written years before the Cheap Trick song.]
• John Frusciante refers to the Thought Police in his song "The Slaughter" when he says, "...being arrested by the mind cops. They're the only ones worth changing what you do for."

Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 РDecember 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 - December 4, 1993) was an American rock/jazz fusion musician, composer, and satirist. ... Freak Out!, released June 27, 1966 on MGM/Verve Records, is the debut album of The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. ... Joes Garage: Acts I, II & III is a 1979 rock opera by Frank Zappa. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... This article is about the year. ... Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention is a 1985 album by Frank Zappa. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 РMarch 2, 1982) was an American writer, mostly known for his works of science fiction. ... The Minority Report (The) Minority Report is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick first published in 1956. ... Minority Report is a 2002 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story of the same name. ... Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... Coldplay are an English rock band. ... Spies may refer to: Spies (Coldplay), a song by the rock group Coldplay. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Listen to this article (3 parts) (info) Part 1ʉۢ Part 2ʉۢ Part 3 This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2006-01-29, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Compulsory education is education which children are required by law to receive and governments to provide. ... Miss Wormwood is an elementary school teacher in the Bill Watterson comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. ... Calvin may refer to: Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes) Calvin College, a college in Grand Rapids, Michigan People with the surname Calvin: John Calvin, theologian Melvin Calvin, American chemist Susan Calvin, fictional robopsychologist People with the given name Calvin: Calvin Coolidge, American President Calvin Cheng, fashion mogul Calvin Klein, fashion designer... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Dream Police is a 1979 studio album by Cheap Trick. ... William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914) - August 2, 1997), more commonly known as William S. Burroughs (pronounced ), was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. ... Naked Lunch is a novel by William S. Burroughs. ... John Anthony Frusciante (IPA pronunciation: ) (born March 5, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. ...

See also

• Censorship
• Free will
• Freedom of thought
• Gatekeeping (communication)
• Hate crime
• Hate speech
• Institutional knowledge
• Language and thought
• Ostracism
• Political correctness
• Thoughtcrimes, a 2003 film

For other uses, see Censor. ... Free-Will is a Japanese independent record label founded in 1986. ... Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience and freedom of ideas) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, regardless of anyone elses view. ... In human communication, in particular, in journalism, gatekeeping is the process through which ideas and information are filtered for publication. ... A Jewish cemetery in France after being defaced by Neo-Nazis. ... Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, moral or political views, socioeconomic class, occupation or appearance... Institutional memory comprises a range of human endeavors to assure intellectual knowledge preservation. ... A variety of different authors, theories and fields purport influences between language and thought. ... Pieces of broken pottery as voting tokens. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... Thoughtcrimes is a 2003 film. ... This article is about the Orwell novel. ... Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 [1] [2] – 21 January 1950), better known by the pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. ... Peter Cushing as Winston Smith in the 1954 BBC Television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, with Donald Pleasence as Syme. ... Julia is the name of a fictional character from George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Richard Burton as OBrien in the 1984 film adaption. ... Big Brother as portrayed in the 1954 BBC Television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... This article is about the character in Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Oceania is red on the fictitious 1984 world map Note: At the end of the novel, there are news reports that Oceania has captured all of Africa, though as propaganda, the credibility of the reports are uncertain. ... Eastasia is green on the fictitious 1984 world map Eastasia is one of the three superstates in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the others being Oceania and Eurasia. ... Eurasia is purple on the fictitious 1984 world map Eurasia is one of three superstates in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the others being Eastasia and Oceania. ... Airstrip One is the name used for the Oceanic province consisting of Great Britain in George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Room 101 is a place introduced in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. ... In the world of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Party which controls Oceania is split into two halves: the Inner Party and the Outer Party. ... In the world of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Party which controls Oceania_fiction is split into two halves: the Inner Party and the Outer Party. ... Proles is a Newspeak term in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to describe the proletariat class. ... The Ministry of Love (or Miniluv in Newspeak) is one of the four ministries that govern Airstrip One, Oceania in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... The Ministry of Peace (Newspeak: Minipax) is one of four ministries in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... The Ministry of Plenty (in Newspeak, Miniplenty) is one of the ministries from George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four that governs Oceania. ... For the 2007 documentary, see Ministry of Truth (film) Senate House, supposed inspiration for the Ministry of Truth The Ministry of Truth (or Minitrue, in Newspeak) is one of the four ministries that govern Oceania in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... One media interpretation of an Ingsoc insignia In George Orwells dystopic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Ingsoc is the ideology of the totalitarian government of Oceania. ... Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... In George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four, the fictional language Newspeak attempts to influence thought by influencing the expressiveness of the English language. ... Doublethink is an integral concept in George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and is the act of holding two contradictory beliefs simultaneously, fervently believing both. ... Goodthink, a term from Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, is a Newspeak word signifying a set of thoughts and beliefs that is in accordance with those established by the Party. ... Crimestop is a Newspeak term taken from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. ... The phrase two plus two makes five (or 2 + 2 = 5) is sometimes used as a succinct and vivid representation of an illogical statement, especially one made and maintained to suit an ideological agenda. ... Prolefeed is a Newspeak term in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. ... Prolesec is a Newspeak term (derived from Proletarian Section) in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . ... OBrien (seen here played by André Morell in the 1954 television adaption), a secret Thought Police agent The Thought Police (thinkpol in Newspeak) is the secret police in George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Big Brothers face looms on giant telescreens in Victory Square Telescreens are featured in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... The memory hole, as in the phrase Going down the memory hole, refers to George Orwells novel, 1984. ... The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism as featured in the 1984 film Goldsteins book, The Theory and Practice Of Oligarchical Collectivism, is a fictional book which is an important element in both the plot and the overall theme of George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, first... In George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Two Minutes Hate is a daily period in which Party members of the society of Oceania must watch a film depicting The Partys enemies (notably Emmanuel Goldstein and his followers) and express their hatred for them. ... Hate Week is an event in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, designed to increase the hatred for the current enemy of the Party, whichever of the two opposing superstates that may be. ... 1984 is a 1956 movie based on the novel by George Orwell. ... 1984 (sometimes Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is how the title appears on screen) is a British film based upon the 1949 novel of the same name by George Orwell; the film was made in the year imagined by the author. ... Nineteen Eighty-Four was an American television adaptation of the novel of the same name by George Orwell, broadcast on CBS in the fall of 1953. ... Peter Cushing played Winston Smith while Donald Pleasence played Syme. ... 1984 is an opera composed by Lorin Maazel, with a libretto by J.D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan. ... Big Brother being increasingly perturbed by Citizen 43275-B Me and the Big Guy is a 1999 short film that satires Nineteen Eighty-Four by way of lampooning the fact that Big Brother is watching everyone, even those hed rather not. ... George Orwells dystopian political novel Nineteen Eighty-Four has been adapted for the cinema twice (with a third version possibly on the way), for the radio at least twice, and for television at least once. ...

Further reading

• Kretzmer, David and Kershman, Hazan Francine (Eds.) (2000) "Freedom of Speech and Incitement Against Democracy". Kluwer Law International, The Hague, Netherlands. ISBN 90-411-1341-X

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 08, 2003.
• 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