Mill, On Liberty

Question 1

Overview of reading

Answer 1

• Looks at what kind of power society can legitimately exert over the individual

Question 2

What types of power and influence does Mill discuss? How does he argue that these should be limited?

Answer 2

• Emphasizes that oppression can happen in ways beyond political means, including public opinion. Therefore, he believes that there should be limitations on how communities impose their values on others
• Argues that we should limit the amount of coercive control that the state can subject us to & the only time that individuals or society can interfere with individual liberty is for self-protection
• Mill recognizes that while laws and rulers can be oppressive, social pressure and opinion can also prove coercive. He warns against adopting social norms that suppress individual expression and diversity of thought.

Question 3

What are the three potentially justified reasons for restricting liberty, according to Mill?

Answer 3

• Paternalistic: X restricts Y’s liberty for Y’s own benefit
• Moralistic: X restricts Y’s liberty to ensure that Y behaves morally
• Harm principle: X restricts Y’s liberty to prevent harm to someone other than Y

Note: Mill clarifies that there is a distinction between harm and mere offense

Question 4

According to Mill, under what circumstance is a restriction on liberty justified?

Answer 4

If and only if it satisfies the harm prinicple

Question 5

Argument and reason vs. coercion

Answer 5

We can reason or argue with someone but not compel or coerce them: ‘over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign’

Question 6

What does Mill think about freedom of speech?

Answer 6

Advocates freedom of speech - doesn’t violate harm principle

Question 7

Issues with harm principle

Answer 7

• Requires fixed notions of harm

Question 8

Mill’s two arguments in support of the harm principle (and against paternalism)

Answer 8

• States are liable to use paternalistic powers
• Even well-intentioned rulers might misidentify a citizen’s interest. As a general rule, we, as individuals, are the best judges of our own interest

Question 9

Mill’s defenses of the harm principle for its support of utility (happiness and progress)

Answer 9

• Liberty of activity allows us to engage in experiments of living, and to discover new, better ways of living
• It takes a special sort of originality, a kind of genius, to introduce new practices into society. And geniuses have highly developed individuality. For such people to exist, we need freedom of action (within the limits of the harm principle)
• People have different interests, aptitudes, and preferences. As such, they develop best under a variety of circumstances. They will benefit from the freedom to choose their own way of life.
• People allowed to exercise individual initiative and creativity develop stronger characters
• Societies that strangle creativity and initiative have traditionally stagnated