The Power of Literacy and the Fear of Knowledge

In Genesis 2:16–17, the verse reads, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” While the language is literal, the interpretation is often symbolic. This passage has long been used to warn against the pursuit of certain types of knowledge... particularly knowledge perceived as dangerous or subversive. Historically, this prohibition has been extended beyond the spiritual, often serving as a metaphor for restricting access to education and ideas outside sanctioned doctrine. At its core, the warning serves less as a spiritual commandment and more as a tool of intellectual containment.

This theme of control through enforced ignorance echoes through history. Religious institutions and oppressive regimes alike have adopted tactics to discourage independent thought, frequently under the guise of moral or divine authority. During American slavery, this concept manifested tragically and tangibly. Slaveholders systematically denied enslaved people the right to read, fearing that literacy would lead to forged documents, orchestrated freedom attempts, or organized resistance. The logic was simple: a mind that cannot question is a mind easier to govern. Education - particularly reading - posed a direct threat to the institution of slavery.

In response to uprisings such as the Stono Rebellion and Nat Turner's Rebellion, Southern legislatures codified this approach by criminalizing the education of enslaved people and even extending these bans to free Black individuals. Literacy was not just discouraged... it was dangerous. Keeping people in ignorance was a deliberate strategy to maintain existing power structures.

These attitudes have evolved but not disappeared. Reverberations can still be heard today, often cloaked in populist sentiment. The 47th President of the United States, for example, once proudly declared, “I love the poorly educated,” a statement that, though perhaps meant to flatter, reveals an unsettling truth: ignorance can be politically convenient. When critical thinking fades, manipulation thrives.

Reading remains a quiet but profound act of rebellion and empowerment. It challenges assumptions, sharpens the intellect, cultivates empathy, and liberates the mind from imposed limitations. It is mental exercise, fortifying memory and cognitive health, reducing stress, and deepening our understanding of the world and ourselves. To read is to resist... to cultivate the very knowledge that once had to be forbidden to avoid revolution.

Thus, the ancient admonition against the tree of knowledge still speaks... if not spiritually, then socio-politically. Whether through holy text or legal decree, the suppression of knowledge has been central to the preservation of inequity. But each time someone opens a book, asks a question, or reads between the lines, they partake in a powerful form of defiance... an act that has, time and again, proven harder to silence than to forbid.