Authoritarianism in religion and science is becoming increasingly accepted. In recent years some western countries are flirting with full-blown totalitarian rule. But the existence of power hungry politicians who desire total control is not what makes our situation particularly precarious. Rather, our troubles lie with the fact that very few people possess the one virtue that can turn the tide back in the direction of freedom. We will discuss how a widespread cowardice is permitting the rise of authoritarianism.