John Stuart Mill (utilitarianism) Flashcards
when was he born
1809 in London
what does he become by the time he was a teenager?
benthamite
when did he become an MP
near the end of his life
what led him to revise Bentham’s utilitarianism?
mental breakdown and being depressed throughout his life
how did he want to revise benthams utilitarianism?
make it to more adequately account for human emotion
biggest contributions
On Liberty
Utilitarianism
what does On Liberty argue?
a way to distinguish individuals from society to protect against tyranny of majority
as a proponent of negative freedom what does he do?
extends that principle beyond protections against government to also apply to protections against society
what does he try to create?
standard of “justifiable interference”
life of the individual in two spheres
total privacy
public individualism
total privacy
people should be able to do whatever they want
public individualism
there should be some coercive regulatory power given to governing authorities
harm principle
individuals behavior is “other regarding” if it potentially harms another person’s permanent interests as a progressive being
what would forcing conversion for a person cause?
small pain but would increase the good feeling/reduce hostility of a larger group
3 main takeaways on the concept of liberty that supersede harm principle
liberty on conscience
liberty of expression
liberty to live as one pleases
