Freedom of Thought at the Crossroads

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF...

• You were compelled to take a medicine that policed your bloodstream for illegal drug molecules?

• You were accused of a crime, but forced to take psychoactive drugs while on trial?

• You were arrested and brain-fingerprinted?

• Medicines that improve your memory, or which help you achieve productive insights were available, but responsible adults who used them were made criminals?

Freedom of thought is at a critical crossroads.

Today, drugs and other advanced technologies are making it possible to change your thought processes. On the one hand, they hold tremendous opportunities for enabling enhanced human functioning. On the other hand, they raise deeply troubling prospects for an entirely new form of coercion. One thing is clear: the parameters of freedom of thought are changing as much as the printing press and the Internet changed the parameters of freedom of speech.

Lawmakers and judges are making important decisions now that set alarming precedent for the future of freedom of thought. Without freedom of thought there can be no free society.

The ACLU protects your civil liberties, but who is working to protect your cognitive liberty?

THE CCLE: KEEPING FREEDOM IN MIND

The Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics is a rights-based public policy organization dedicated to promoting freedom of thought. Our mission is to develop, and implement public polices that preserve and enhance freedom of thought into the 21st Century.

WHY FOCUS ON FREEDOM OF THOUGHT?

The right to freedom of thought is situated at the core of what it means to be a free person. It is essential to the most elementary concepts of human freedom, dignity, and self-expression. It’s what gives us collective confidence that the future will improve upon the past.

In the past, civil rights battles were centered on freeing the body from oppression.

The civil rights battles of today and tomorrow must now focus on protecting the fundamental right to brain privacy, autonomy, and choice (i.e., "cognitive liberty"). At stake is the unlimited potential of the human mind.

WHY IS COGNITIVE LIBERTY A PRESSING ISSUE?

We’ve seen how inadequately the courts and lawmakers have handled rapid advances in digital communication, and the Patriot Act shows how rabidly some politicians are willing to sacrifice well-established freedoms in the name of "increased security." Let’s be sure that those charged with administering for the public good don't run roughshod over freedom of thought.

WHAT CAN I DO?

Every person can make a difference.

1. Get Informed: Find good sources of information, and educate yourself on current and emerging freedom of thought issues.

2. Take a Stand: If you believe in freedom of thought, let others know, especially your elected leaders. Make your stand part of who you are and the way you live your life.

3. Get Involved: Write letters national and local media, call or visit your elected representatives, and volunteer.

4. Support the Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics.
Most nonprofit organizations rely primarily on the generosity of individual donors in order to be effective. The CCLE is no exception; indeed 90 percent of our support comes from individuals like you.

If you are learning about the CCLE for the first time, we invite you to join the community that supports our work. And if you are a current or past supporter, we invite you to reaffirm the stand you have taken, and consider increasing your support this year.

Please support our work by by making a donation. Supporters receive regular updates on important cognitive liberty news, and join others around the world who recognize the necessity of protecting freedom of thought today, before it's too late.

Your support has never been more crucial. Please give what you can.

Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics (CCLE)
Keeping Freedom in Mind: www.cognitiveliberty.org

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