John K. Wilson

In the following viewpoint, John K. Wilson argues that the government should continue to fund the arts, even when certain exhibits contain material that some people consider offensive or controversial. Conservatives often maintain that public funding should be withheld from museums and from artists who exhibit offensive art. But such withdrawal of funds would only amount to censorship of ideas, Wilson asserts. Conservative censors should not be allowed to judge what can and cannot be shown in museums. Wilson is the author of The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education and How the Left Can Win Arguments and Influence People, from which this viewpoint is excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why is censorship evil, in Wilson’s opinion?
2. According to the author, what would...