Samenvatting

In this contribution three cases are discussed of thinkers who have come into conflict with the religious-fundamentalist ambition to control the freedom of thought and the freedom of expression of critical thinkers: Rushdie, Spinoza and Galileo. Salman Rushdie came into conflict with Islamic orthodoxy, Benedict Spinoza with Jewish orthodoxy and Galileo Galilei with Christian-Catholic orthodoxy. In addition to differences, interesting parallels can be drawn between these three situations. This article argues that it is good to study these parallels in order to learn something about how we should deal with religious fanaticism and upholding a culture of freedom, such as that in Article 18 (and 19 UDHR) as ideal.