I think it's important to distinguish between what Amazon books Amazon ought to sell and what books ought to be allowed to be sold.
In the 70s, Abbie Hoffman wrote a book called "Steal this book!" It contains instructions for committing revolutionary acts we would call terrorism today. I went to buy a copy out of nostalgia, and in a stunning act of irony, it was in my bookstore's "American History" section. But at the time it was published, the ideas were radical and heavily disparaged. Should it have been censored? Should it be censored now?
Likewise, we can find lots of books about smoking and growing Cannabis. Judging by the glee with which the USA incarcerates its citizens for these activities, one would think that Cannabis is considered far, far more dangerous than gunpowder. Should they be censored?
I think we can make judgments about what a business that caters to a broad audience should or shouldn't do. But there's a very difficult freedom of speech issue here. The mere illegality of an activity isn't the litmus test for me, and neither is instructional content.
In the 70s, Abbie Hoffman wrote a book called "Steal this book!" It contains instructions for committing revolutionary acts we would call terrorism today. I went to buy a copy out of nostalgia, and in a stunning act of irony, it was in my bookstore's "American History" section. But at the time it was published, the ideas were radical and heavily disparaged. Should it have been censored? Should it be censored now?
http://www.amazon.com/Steal-This-Book-Abbie-Hoffman/dp/15685...
Likewise, we can find lots of books about smoking and growing Cannabis. Judging by the glee with which the USA incarcerates its citizens for these activities, one would think that Cannabis is considered far, far more dangerous than gunpowder. Should they be censored?
I think we can make judgments about what a business that caters to a broad audience should or shouldn't do. But there's a very difficult freedom of speech issue here. The mere illegality of an activity isn't the litmus test for me, and neither is instructional content.