An orator, whose purpose is to persuade
men, must speak the things they wish to hear, an orator, whose purpose is to
move men, must also avoid disturbing the emotional effect by any obtrusion of
intellectual antagonism, but an author, whose purpose is to instruct men, who
appeals to the intellect, must be careless of their opinions and think only of
truth. It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing an
unpalatable opinion, or in preaching heresies. But it can never be a question
that a man should be silent if unprepared to speak the truth as he conceives it.
Deference to popular opinion is one great source of bad writing and is all the
more disastrous because the deference is paid to some purely hypothetical
requirement. When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally
accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by
announcing his dissent. He may be excused if he shrink from the lurid glory of
martyrdom. He may be justified in not placing himself in a position of
singularity. He may even be commended for not helping to perplex mankind with
doubts which he feels to be founded on limited and possibly erroneous
investigation. But if allegiance to truth lays no stern command upon him to
speak out his immature dissent, it does lay a stern command not to speak out
hypocritical assent. There are many justifications of silence, there can be none
of insincerity.
单选题
A man who dissents with generally accepted views ______.