Quote by C.S. Lewis
Unless followed by the world 'education', has now lost this meaning [seeking knowledge or doing something for its own sake -- i.e. 'freely' with no exterior motive]. For that loss, so damanging to the whole of our cultural outlook, we must thank those who made it the name, first of a political, and then a religious, party. The same irresponsible rapacity, the desire to appropriate a word for its 'selling-power', has often done linguistic mischief. It is not easy now to say at all in English what the word would have said if it had not been 'cornered' by politicians. , , , and have been destroyed in the same way. Sometimes the arrogation is so outrageous that it fails; the Quakers have not killed the word . And sometimes so many different people grab at the coveted word for so many different groups or factions that, while it is spoiled for its original purpose, none of the grabbers achieve secure possession. is an example; it will probably end by being a term of eulogy as vague as .
Summary
This quote suggests that the true meaning of the word "freedom" has been obscured and lost due to its appropriation by political and religious entities. The idea is that when these entities attach their own agendas to a word, it loses its original meaning and becomes diluted or distorted. The quote implies that the word "education" may be one of the few remaining examples of a word that hasn't completely lost its true meaning, as it has not been claimed exclusively by any particular group. This observation highlights how words can be manipulated and misused, leading to ambiguity and a loss of their original essence.
By C.S. Lewis
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