Writing and books

Essays on rights, free thought, political freedom and the mind that does the thinking.

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Earth rising above the surface of the Moon, photographed from Apollo 8

Writing is where the arguments get made carefully rather than loudly. The subjects return again and again: what a right actually is, what freedom of thought demands of a person, and what consciousness might be underneath all of it.

What this work covers

The written work moves between three subjects that turn out to be the same subject. There is the legal and historical strand, on unalienable rights, the preamble, and the distance between what founding documents promise and what governments deliver.

There is the philosophical strand, on free thought: the position that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic and reason, and should not be settled by authority, tradition or dogma. A freethinker is simply someone who insists on doing their own thinking, including about the people telling them what to think.

And there is the strand on consciousness itself. Monistic idealism holds that consciousness, not matter, is the ground of all being. It is a minority view and it is argued here as one, not smuggled in as a settled fact.

Books, essays and short pieces all come out of the same working habit: read the primary source, quote it accurately, and say plainly what you think it means.

Rights and founding documents

Close reading of the Declaration, the preamble to the Constitution, and the state constitutions that quietly use the weaker word.

Free thought

The view that opinions should rest on science, logic and reason rather than on authority, tradition or dogma, and that a person should do their own thinking.

Political freedom

Freedom read as more than the absence of external constraint: the presence of enabling conditions, and the real exercise of rights, capacities and possibilities for action.

Consciousness and idealism

Monistic idealism, which holds consciousness rather than matter to be the ground of all being, argued as a position rather than assumed as a fact.

How to take part

None of this needs a title, a budget or permission. It needs people willing to notice, to say so, and to act on it.

STEP 01

Speak Up

Say the thing plainly, in your own words, to someone who can hear it. Silence is read as agreement, and it usually is.

STEP 02

Do Something

An opinion held privately changes nothing. Turn up, write, record, organise, or simply refuse to go along with it.

STEP 03

Be Concerned

Pay attention on purpose, and keep paying it after the news moves on. Most rights are lost during the quiet part.

STEP 04

Get In Touch

Write and say what you want to work on. The same address is open whether you are offering help or asking for it.

How this works

No paywall, no gatekeeping and no appeal to authority. Read the sources, disagree where you disagree, and write if you want to take part.

Read the source yourself

Claims here point back to the document or definition they came from, so you can check them rather than take my word for it.

Plain language, on purpose

Rights get taken with vocabulary before they are taken with law. Nothing on this site needs a specialist to translate it.

The door swings both ways

One address, whether you want to help with the work or you need help yourself. Both kinds of message get an answer.

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Questions, answered plainly

The terms used across this site, defined, so nothing rests on a word you were expected to already know.

What is the difference between unalienable and inalienable rights?

An unalienable right cannot be transferred, surrendered, given, taken or sold, and that holds even where consent is claimed. It is intrinsic and inherent to the individual. An inalienable right cannot be transferred without consent, which means it can be transferred with it, actually or constructively. Rights of that second kind are not inherent in a person and can be alienated by government. The Declaration of Independence uses the stronger word. Most state constitutions use the weaker one.

What does the Declaration of Independence actually say about this?

It holds it to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It goes on to state the reason government exists at all: to secure those rights, deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed. That is a duty placed on federal, state and local government alike.

What is free thought?

Free thought is the philosophical position that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic and reason, and should not be settled by authority, tradition or dogma. Practising it is called freethinking. The demanding part is that it applies to your own conclusions and to anyone asking you to adopt theirs, including me.

What do you mean by political freedom?

Political freedom, or political agency, has been described as a relationship free of oppression or coercion, as the absence of disabling conditions together with the presence of enabling ones, and as the absence of economic compulsion. It is usually read negatively, as freedom from unreasonable external constraint. It also means the positive exercise of rights, capacities and possibilities for action, including social and group rights, and freedom from internal constraints such as social conformity.

How can I help, or get help?

Write to help@williamjackson.com and say which one it is. Offers to contribute, screen the documentary, host or take part in a happening, or work on the writing are all welcome, and so are messages from people who need help rather than want to give it. Every message is read.

How can I support the work financially?

There is a donation link at paypal.me/WilliamJackson. Contributions go towards the documentary, the events and the writing. Nothing on this site sits behind a payment, and support is voluntary.

Still have questions?Read them all

Together we are more

If you wish to help, or you need help, write and say which. Both kinds of message are answered.

Get Involved

SPEAK UP

DO SOMETHING

BE CONCERNED