When Orwell says that war is peace and freedom is slavery, they are natural opposites, but when he says ignorance is strength, wouldn't the opposite be weakness is strength? Is he trying to say that ignorance and weakness are the same thing?
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When Orwell says that war is peace and freedom is slavery, they are natural opposites, but when he says ignorance is strength, wouldn't the opposite be weakness is strength? Is he trying to say that ignorance and weakness are the same thing?
I don't think Orwell is trying to say ignorance and weakness are the same thing. I think Orwell is trying to say the government is telling the people of Oceania that being ignorant to the truth and having "strength" is better than having knowledge.
You might be reading a little too much into it. The bottom line is the Party doesn't want people to question them. Being intelligent and well informed often leads to the questioning of authority. An example of this is shown in Flowers for Algernon with the protagonist (Charlie) and his increased questioning of the Doctors (authority) as he gains intellectual capacity. By enforcing the idea that ignorance is a good thing, the Party is simply using another avenue to protect their authority.