Heresy

Paul Graham’s essay Heresy observes that the concept of heresy—once a medieval religious concern—has reentered modern secular society.

The Return of Heresy

Where Newton had to “avoid the three unforgivable sins: crime, heresy, and marriage,” today’s employment culture similarly punishes certain opinions as beyond discussion.

Structural Characteristics

Two features distinguish heresy from ordinary disagreement:

It takes “priority over the question of truth or falsity”
It outweighs all other accomplishments

A person can be “automatically fired” regardless of prior good conduct simply for expressing forbidden opinions.

Truth-Independent Application

Whether a statement qualifies as “heretical” often depends on who speaks it rather than factual accuracy. These labels operate outside truth claims—they function as conversation-enders rather than truth-seeking tools.

Requirements for Intolerance Waves

Two ingredients enable heresy waves:

Intolerant people (always present in society)
An ideology to direct them

The “aggressively conventional-minded” serve as enforcement mechanisms.

Optimistic Outlook

Despite concerning trends, Graham notes longer-term freedom expansion and signs the current wave may be peaking, suggesting renewed pushback could reverse course.