The progress of society depends upon the exchange of ideas. There is no other place where the development and exchange of thought is as prevalent as the 'international super highway'.
Writing has been one of the greatest technological advancements of mankind. Information created and shared can be preserved through history. Much of what we know today is greatly dependent upon the development and preservation of writing.
The internet is far beyond writing, in sharing ideas in an instant across all borders and peoples. It is every form of communication we have, every artistic expression, way of life, every form of thought and learning. It is crucial to the development of the future. Restrictions on the internet, only work against the development of humankind as a whole.
It is the greatest archeological archive the world has ever seen; it is without a doubt today's 'great library'.
That being said; one should not restrict information even if one does not agree with the information being shared. The internet is not some magical fairy tale land, it is a very real place full of very real people. We must safeguard our home in which most of the world now lives. One should not be judged based solely upon the access to information, but what one does with said information.
Everything has an equivalence in 'real life'. Please don't throw my friends in jail for the equivalent of using a copy machine, checking a book out from the library or borrowing a video tape from their friends.
Don't break the Rosetta Stone, burn the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Library of Alexandra. The internet is a light of the world, don't let it go out.
