Last night I read an episode in the life of Antonio Gramsci. On the evening of November 8, 1926, Gramsci, a prominent figure in the Italian Communist Party, was arrested by the Italian fascist government, and two years later was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. The judge proclaimed, "For 20 years we must stop this brain from functioning."

There are many ways to stop thinking. There are many prisons, and many other ways that are sometimes effectiv