ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some historical examples of cancelling by featuring four individuals—Socrates, Baruch Spinoza, Delmira Agustini, and Rosa Luxemburg—who each in his or her own way suffered a variety of harsh consequences ranging from condemnation to murder. I examine the accomplishments and struggles of these four historical figures to underline the point that cancelling individuals and ideas is not a new phenomenon; in fact, cancelling has a long and painful history in Western societies. What is more, one could make a case that the consequences suffered by Socrates, Spinoza, Agustini, and Luxemburg—who were condemned, exiled, banned, or even executed—were much more severe than the examples of cancelling that we are witnessing today. Nevertheless, in the more recent cases as in the historical ones, the individual or idea that was cancelled was perceived to be a significant threat to existing doctrines, values, and practices. My analysis of Socrates, Spinoza, Agustini, and Luxemburg also illustrates that in all their cases they responded to the efforts to cancel them with some form of opposition or resistance.
