Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past. This memorable phrase, articulated by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), is profound, but at bottom it is incorrect. Orwell made this phrase the motto of a modern totalitarian regime. Had he made it the motto of the equivalent of the Russian Orthodox Church or some other traditional establishment, it would have applied far better. It does not apply to any modern political party or regime. Here is what does apply: Whoever controls men’s vision of the future controls the present; to legitimize this vision, he … Continue reading The Web Scares the State