What you can't say

Paul Graham argues that moral fashions, like clothing fashions, are arbitrary and invisible to most people, yet far more dangerous, since violating them can cost someone their job, freedom or life. He proposes finding today's taboos by examining what people get in trouble for saying, asking whether such statements might be true, and tracking labels like "defeatist" or "divisive" that shut down debate. He also suggests comparing present ideas with those of past and other cultures, and noting that any idea harmless in many times and places but taboo now may be a mistake. The essay adds that a well-brought-up child's mind is largely a collection of adult taboos.