On Liberty

(John Stuart Mill)

Overview
Who was John Stuart Mill?
What were his ideas on individual
liberty?
What was his defense for
freedom of speech (i.e. thought
and discussion)?
Why did he favor individuality in
society?
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Prodigious political economist
Third-generation Benthamite
Contemporary of Alexis de
Tocqueville
Member of parliament and public
official
Made famous by his essay “On
Liberty”
On Individual Liberty
Liberty is absolute insofar as the
individual is concerned
–the “inward domain of
consciousness”
–liberty of tastes and pursuits
–freedom of association
Negative Liberty
The limit of liberty in society is
when it impinges upon the
liberty of others
Thus, the only justifiable reason
to interfere with an individual’s
exercise of liberty is to prevent
harm to others
Negative Liberty
There is a need to regulate the
exercise of freedom…
–by individuals vis-à-vis other
individuals
–by government vis-à-vis those
whom they govern
–by society vis-à-vis the
demands made on government
On Freedom of Speech
In democracies, public opinion
overpowers alternative ideas
The tendency is for individuals to
be intolerant of ideas that go
against the grain
At times, people take for granted
the rationale behind conventional
wisdom
On Freedom of Speech
1. No one is infallible
2. Dissenting opinions may
possess some truth
3. Discussion enables people to
better understand what is true
4. Discussion allows people to
take to heart what is accepted
as true
On Freedom of Speech
Mill’s criterion of truth is prescient
of Karl Popper’s criterion of
falsifiability
–All knowledge is tentative
–We only accept as true that
which can be and has not been
falsified (disputed)
On Individuality
Societies generally prefer
conformity over individuality
–Conformity = Stability
–Conformity reflects the
preference of the majority
Thus customs/traditions are
important to promote conformity
On Individuality
It is in man’s nature to be free
and express his individuality
Man possesses faculties that
allow him to discern and make
choices
To deprive man of such choices
is to stunt his development
The key is to harness this
individuality properly
On Mill’s Other Ideas
Utility as the final arbiter of
ethical questions
Liberty as proper to a particular
stage of societal development
Skepticism towards organized
religion
Etc.