Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate and discussion. even those who disagreed with established authorities could now print and circulate their ideas. This developed fear among some people. Not everyone welcomed the printed book, and those who did also had fears about it. Many were apprehensive of the effects that the easier access to the printed word and the wider circulation of books, could have on people’s minds.

It was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread. If that happened the authority of valuable literature would be destroyed.

In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety five theses criticizing many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. It challenged the church to debate his ideas. Luther’s writing were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and widely. This led to a division within the church and to the beginning of the protestant reformation.

Example from Europe: Erasmus thought that books were not good for sanctity of scholastic knowledge. He was of the opinion that printed books would glut the market with contents which will do more harm than good to society. Because of this the value of good content would be lost in the din.

Example from India: In India conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed and Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances. Sometimes, rebel women defied such prohibitions.