# Have we ever illegalized microscopes and/or telescopes in history? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058 "2002-04-22T21:50:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ressl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Ressl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ressl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058/1 "2002-04-22T21:50:01Z")
“At one point consciousness-altering devices like the microscope and telescope were criminalized for exactly the same reasons that psychedelic plants were banned in later years. They allow us to peer into bits and zones of Chaos.” —Timothy Leary Does he mean we actually prohibited (the human race, not the US) at one point, or just idealogically in that we shunned their use? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058/2 "2002-04-22T22:15:57Z")
To the best of my knowledge…no. Telescopes _imay_ have been banned in their early incarnation in Italy since they were used to spot ships on the horizon and effect local trade. But I know of no specific law off-hand. Galileo was persecuted on the basis of what he determined by looking through his telescope. But the telescope itself was not banned. Pheh, the quote is just one of those bozo comments that stoners make when they think people can’t be original without drugs. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058/3 "2002-04-22T22:43:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Miskatonic \* > **Pheh, the quote is just one of those bozo comments that stoners make when they think people can’t be original without drugs.** The whole point of that quote was Leary’s contention that society attempts to prevent individuals from gaining creativity and insight from controversial means like drugs. Which, as I assume you did not know, happens all the time; ever listen to a little band called the Beatles? As for the OP, no idea, but it definitely wouldn’t surprise me. Fundamentalists have a long tradition of denying access to information which might contradict their various doctrines. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058/4 "2002-04-22T23:35:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cainxinth \* > \*\* > The whole point of that quote was Leary’s contention that society attempts to prevent individuals from gaining creativity and insight from controversial means like drugs. \*\* For which point his illustration is much, much likelier to be accepted if it DID indeed happen; otherwise he will be fair game for charges of just making up justifications for getting high. Thus the desire for factual corroboration. A fiery sermon from some 17th century Puritan, denouncing the instruments as "tools of sorcery"or whatever would be slim evidence, as EVERY technology has been denounced as such at some time. As pointed out, Galileo’s _conclusions_ (and even more so his smart-aleck, politically incorrect, authority-tweaking way of publishing them) were censured by the Roman Church: but NOT the experimental methods or the instruments. jrd Oh, and BTW, Aldous Huxley, THAT was insight from psychedelic experimentation. Beatles? Popularizers. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-illegalized-microscopes-and-or-telescopes-in-history/105058/5 "2002-04-22T23:54:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ressl \* > illegalized If guns were illegalized, only illegals would have guns. 😃