An “inquisition” uses a self-proclaimed authority to seek out and eradicate those deviating from an inquisitor’s principles. New modes of inquisition continue to unfold daily, as seen in the rise of AI-driven misinformation, state-level restrictions on academic freedom, and the increasing use of digital surveillance to suppress dissent.
The passage of recent legislation in various states curtailing reproductive rights and public protests exemplifies this trend, highlighting the growing institutionalization of inquisitorial control. If we’re not vigilant, institutions and organizations will become inquisitorial by design, fostering control and domination rather than growth and liberation.
Today’s Inquisitions
The modern manifestations of the Inquisition reveal themselves in various ways: the continued assault on reproductive rights, efforts to erase historical truths by banning books and critical race theory, suppression of voting rights, attempts to overthrow democratic institutions, the rise of Christian Nationalism, and the undermining of public health.
These patterns are not new; they have intensified as democracy and authoritarianism cycle through their historical dance.
As these forms of inquisition flash across our screens, I am reminded of a book my book club read in 2012, God’s Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World by Cullen Murphy.
This work explores how religious and secular inquisitions have shaped societies, reinforcing control systems through bureaucracy and ideology.
Power & Control
Despite their claims to moral and political principles, all inquisitions are fundamentally about power and control.
The inquisitors maintain their dominance through the structures of their organizations and institutions. Murphy highlights bureaucracy as a key tool for conducting and reinforcing inquisitions.
Contemporary examples include the use of state surveillance agencies, restrictive immigration policies enforced through bureaucratic hurdles, and the legal apparatus employed to suppress dissent. In the United States, voter suppression laws and partisan gerrymandering illustrate how bureaucratic mechanisms can entrench power structures under the guise of procedural governance.
The administrative machinery of the state and corporate entities enables control over individuals and populations, reinforcing exclusionary policies under the guise of order.
Religious regimes and so-called secular governments forge separate and collective agendas to control our lives in increasingly sinister ways. State inquisitions, independent of religious ones, seek to protect the state’s power and its elite interests. Economic regimes—capitalist, communist, or fascist—employ inquisitorial techniques to preserve the dominance of those in power.
Exclusion is at the heart of all inquisitions. Race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin determine who is included and excluded.
As we observed the rise of the political right in the early 21st century, we saw how local, state, and federal governments and the courts were weaponized to deregulate economic life while tightening control over social, cultural, and religious expression.
By 2025, these efforts have grown even more entrenched and sinister, as seen in the implementation of stricter voter ID laws, the criminalization of certain protest activities, and increased surveillance of activists and journalists.
The rise of AI-driven misinformation campaigns and deepfake technology has further complicated democratic discourse, making it easier for authoritarian actors to manipulate public perception and suppress dissent.
Control for Control’s Sake
While societies require some form of social control, Murphy warns that control can evolve into an end in itself. When this happens, it breeds fear and suspicion among neighbors, instilling a culture of surveillance and distrust. Institutionalized inquisitions cultivate paranoia, forcing people to police themselves and others.
Fundamentalism & Ultimate Truth
Murphy argues that religious, secular, or economic fundamentalism arises when people accept their ideas as the ultimate truth. Inquisitions thrive on dogma, refusing to test or challenge deeply held beliefs.
Modern social media echo chambers and misinformation campaigns further entrench these dynamics, creating insular communities resistant to contradictory evidence. Algorithms amplify confirmation bias, making it easier for inquisitorial mindsets to flourish unchecked. In such environments, superstition replaces critical inquiry, fostering cult-like adherence to ideological purity.
Inquisitions unite ideas and institutions to suppress individual and collective expression. A social machine emerges, one that co-opts, intimidates, and coerces.
Knowledge Advances by Disproving
The scientific method contradicts superstition and advances knowledge by disproving falsehoods. In a rational society, claims must be subject to scrutiny and falsification. Fundamentalists resist intellectual rigor because their belief systems cannot withstand questioning. Reason threatens their control, and thus, blind faith becomes their shield.
Counter-Inquisition Organizational Design Principles
Murphy’s insights offer several guiding principles for resisting inquisitional tendencies:
- Separation of Church and State – Religious doctrine should not dictate governance.
- Due Process – The accused must have the right to confront their accuser.
- Presumption of Innocence – The burden of proof must rest with the inquisitor, not the accused.
Have Beliefs, But Don’t Believe Blindly
We need beliefs; they guide us. But blind faith leads to inquisitorial thinking, regardless of ideology. Murphy proposes that the antidote combines humility, transparency, and accountability. This “social cocktail” fortifies our resistance against inquisitional tendencies and breaks the cycle of “man’s inhumanity to man.”
It keeps us from committing acts of cruelty in the name of so-called humane ideas. It reminds us that we must remain vigilant against becoming what we oppose.
Moving Forward
Andrew Boyd’s Life’s Little Deconstruction Book, Self-Help for the Post-Hip, offers a guiding principle: “Have beliefs, but don’t believe.” This is the challenge before us.
If we meet it, we can design institutions and movements that foster growth, liberation, and inclusivity—rather than control, domination, and destruction.
The cycles of history persist, but our ability to recognize and resist the inquisitorial forces shaping our world will determine whether we bend toward democracy or authoritarianism in the years ahead.
Recent global events, from democratic backslides in countries like Hungary and India to rising authoritarian trends in the United States and Latin America, illustrate how fragile democratic institutions can be.
The erosion of press freedom, judicial independence, and free elections warns that vigilance is necessary to safeguard democratic values.