“Havel to the Castle!” The Power of the Word

Abstract

This article argues the virtue of Václav Havel's striking idea “that the world might actually be changed by the force of truth, the power of a truthful word, the strength of a free spirit, conscience, and responsibility.” We are not powerless when we recognize the power of words to change history for good or ill. Intellectuals, whose work is inherently linguistic, bear unique responsibility for the thinking that shapes the general moral consciousness. Havel calls intellectuals to account for vacuous verbal games that erode faith in human communication, for complicity in subversive linguistic manipulation, and for ethical indifference. We must become Cassandras, he urges, “warriors of the pen,” predicting, warning, bearing witness on the side of truth against lies, holding ourselves and others to account for the integrity of words and for fidelity between words and action. Only such scruple can change moral consciousness enough to make violence rare and human life sacred again.