libertarianism, political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value. It may be understood as a form of liberalism, classical liberalism in particular, the political philosophy associated with the English philosophers John Locke and John Stuart Mill, the Scottish economist Adam Smith, and the American statesman ...

In this essay, I aim to show that Mill's liberty principle is necessary for his utilitarianism to function and promote the good life. After presenting the liberty principle and utilitarianism, and explaining the two tensions I examine between them, I will show the necessity of the liberty principle based on Mill's distinction of higher and ...

On Liberty (1859), of the most important documents of political liberalism, appeared in the same year that Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published. On Liberty is a rational justification of the freedom of the individual in opposition to the claims of the state to impose unlimited control and is thus a defence of the rights of ...

Mill's Arguments for Freedom of Expression. Mill makes two broad points in favor of freedom of thought and expression. No one can ever have enough confidence that their own opinions are true (and contrary opinions are false) to justify suppressing the contrary opinions. Even someone who was certain that an opinion is false should not …

Men do not want solely the obedience of women, they want their sentiments. All men, except the most brutish, desire to have, in the woman most nearly connected with them, not a forced slave but a willing one, not a slave merely, but a favourite. They have therefore put everything in practice to enslave their minds.

1. The quote is from John Stuart Mill's book, "On Liberty". 2. Mill through this quote asserts that government should not interfere with personal liberty, even if it is to protect the person from themselves. 3. It means people should be free to do whatever they want, provided they don't harm others. 1. Jeremy Bentham was the more consistent ...

Mill believes that there are two major forms of tyranny: political tyranny (as when a political leader takes too much control over individual lives of the citizens of the state) and social tyranny, which he calls "tyranny of the majority." Mill admits that even when the political leaders of a state allow its citizens the right amount of individual liberty, society can still …

In John Stuart Mill's essay On Liberty, Mill states that individual liberty may be limited by only one thing: the self-preservation of society and other individuals. To that end, man must retain the liberty to act and think as he so chooses, without the suppression of ideas or opinions, as long as it does not harm others.

The balance between these two extremes is struck by following the harm principle: liberty to pursue one's own happiness is a fundamental good for all human beings and can only be infringed upon if the exercise of one's …

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), one of the most influential philosophers of the nineteenth century, became a guiding light for modern liberalism and individual liberty. Mill's …

Ultimately, his focus on the importance of human happiness, and the role that liberty (or 'individuality') plays in sustaining this happiness, leads him to propose a hybrid economic system that melds what he takes to be the best of both socialism and capitalism. Most people with a passing knowledge of John Stuart Mill know him to be a ...

According to John Stuart Mill's (1806–1873) Liberty Principle, when certain social and cognitive conditions are satisfied and as long as no one else is harmed, an individual's self-regarding thoughts and actions ought to be protected from interference. The Liberty Principle forged the identity of Mill as a liberal and an anti-paternalist. …

Mill asserts that the greatest obstacle this principle must overcome is the general indifference people have towards individuality. This would change if more people saw individuality as a key component of well-being. The majority is typically happy with society as it is because they made it so, which makes it hard for them to understand why others …

Utilitarianism is one of the most important and influential moral theories of modern times. In many respects, it is the outlook of Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) and his writings from the mid-18th century. But it received both its name and its clearest statement in the writings of English philosophers Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) …

The principle is a central tenet of the political philosophy known as liberalism and was first proposed by English philosopher John Stuart Mill. The harm principle is not designed to guide the actions of individuals but to restrict the scope of criminal law and government restrictions of personal liberty. For Mill – and the many politicians ...

Mill believed that because liberty was "one of the leading essentials of well-being" that individuals must take positive steps to ensure that their liberties are not …

Summary. On Liberty is one of Mill's most famous works and remains the one most read today. In this book, Mill expounds his concept of individual freedom within the context of his ideas on history and the state. On Liberty depends on the idea that society progresses from lower to higher stages and that this progress culminates in the ...

The role of progress is subtle; it plays a passive role as the value-laden principle erected to justify the liberal ideology underpinning Mill's argument in On Liberty. The problems with positioning progress as the end point of human history have been addressed by making comparison with Marx's own ideas on liberty, progress and …

Published in 1859, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty is one of the most celebrated defences of free speech ever written. In this elongated essay, Mill aims to defend what he refers to as "one very simple principle," what modern commentators would later call the harm principle. This is the idea that people should only be stopped or restrained ...

John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher who lived during the first half of the 1800s. He wrote many essays that created rules that people could use to decide what actions were good and bad.

EMAIL JOHN STUART MILL'S 1859 ESSAY "On Liberty" is one of the most enduring and powerful defenses of individual freedom ever penned. Both advocates and …

Much of the confusion prevailing in the historical study of liberalism can be traced to John Stuart Mill, who occupies a vastly inflated position in the conception of liberalism entertained by English-speaking peoples. 1 This "saint of rationalism" is responsible for key distortions in the liberal doctrine on a number of fronts. 2 In …

Which of the following most accurately captures the spirit of John Stuart Mill's harm principle? a) Individual liberties may only be interfered with when the exercise of those liberties harms others. b) Society may restrict individual liberty to protect agents from harming themselves. c) The harm done by interfering with any given individual ...

Philosopher John Stuart Mill relies on strategies of classification and division to defend the principle that "happiness is the sole end of human action." ... to the individual, a good in itself, without looking to any end beyond it; and hold, that the mind is not in a right state, not in a state conformable to Utility, not in the state most ...

The 1859 book On Liberty by British philosopher John Stuart Mill (pictured here) presents one of the most influential arguments ever formulated in favor of free speech and individual freedom over censorship and paternalism. The importance of On Liberty resides in a series of powerful arguments defending the free flow of ideas in a marketplace of ideas, and in …

Utilitarianism seems to require punishing the innocent in certain circumstances, such as these. It is wrong to punish an innocent person, because it violates his rights and is unjust. But for the ...

John Stuart Mill (1806–73) was the most influential English language philosopher of the nineteenth century. He was a naturalist, a utilitarian, and a liberal, …

John Stuart Mill and the "Marketplace of Ideas" One often hears the expression "the marketplace of ideas" used in reference to John Stuart Mill's political theory in On Liberty.1 This metaphor describes a situation in which people speak and ex change ideas freely, and it has a certain plausibility on two counts.

Actions and conduct. Right of assembly. In defending individual freedom to express one's beliefs or opinions, Mill considers three kinds of cases. Explain all three, and give examples. Case One: The minority opinion at issue is true; society is wrong. Case Two: The minority opinion at issue is false; society is right.

JOHN STUART MILL'S 1859 ESSAY "On Liberty" is one of the most enduring and powerful defenses of individual freedom ever penned. Both advocates and enemies of personal freedom have challenged either the premises or the logic in Mill's argument. They have pointed out inconsistencies or incompleteness in his reasoning. But the fact …