On liberty
On libertyJ.S.Mill-On Liberty summary
The main theme of on liberty was the individual.Everything
else, society, education,government and so forth had their
basis in the individuals rights to his own liberty. Noone,
no member of society, government, even God, if he appeared
before an individual, could inforce his will upon him. That
is not to say that you couldnt change someones mind through
discussions, but instead, that noone had a right to force his
views upon another. Your happiness is yours(individual) to
enjoy without any infringements. Conversations between
individuals or groups of individuals is essential in
developing the notion of liberty. Mill claims that you should
feel free to convey your views openly without forcing them
onto others. After all, a man who learns from noone but
himself has a fool for a teacher. There is however an
exception to this rule. That is, if an individual in
any way harms or comes onto anothers rights to liberty, or
causes a social threat, hence he or she is subjected to
forced inclinations by other members of society. For example,
walking around nude on the streets of Cairo might be youre cup
of tea, alas, in Cairo they prefer coffee. In other words, if
you offend other individuals, you are in fact infringing on
their rights as free citizens who poses a sovereign mind.
However if you choose to remain nude while in the comfort of
your hotel room in Cairo, then there is no reason why you
shouldnt.
According to Mill, education is a fundamental
requirement for being an individual as well. But once again,
there should be no forceful applications towards what is being
taught. Man is after all, a rational being and has the
capabilities to reason things through. Education serves more
as a guide then as a factual basis for each individual. No
two individuals can have the exact same experiences in life.
Therefore, it is up to the individuals themselves to conclude
what they perceive to be their own ideas of happiness. An
individual who follows traditions and customs soleley because
they are inherrent in society, is nothing more than an animal.
The very fact that you can reason said mill, means that you
have the option of disregarding all customs and traditions
if you feel they are not beneficial towards your happiness.
That is not to say that you shouldnt follow customs and
traditions, merely that you ought not to, for the sake of
being just another brick in the wall.
The progressive nature of humans leads to the ultimate
conclusion that there is no need for a governing force
outside society consisting of individuals that have their
own interests at heart. There should not be a government, a
monarch, a ruler that is outside society. Instead, it should
be attached to the people, having their best interests at
heart. Rulers are not needed to protect the people from
themselves. In fact, they should be in all regards,
responsible to the people and subjected to being removed by
the people, beacause it is the people who ultimately have the
power. This is a true democratic state, with individuals as
the microscopic entities that make it up. Members of this
society must not allow themselves to be surpressed by any
group who claim to be their legitimate representative of the
state. This will subdue individual growth and sovereignity,
creating a state with tyranny at its heart.
TO avoid this, individuals should freely express
themselves, their beliefs, ideas and so forth. No government
has the authority to silence individuals who convey their
beliefs as the truth. Even if there are a thousand people
with a thousand different views, it is for the benefit of
society as a whole to hear them out, for there is a chance
that among the various beliefs, one of them may contain the
essence of truth. Noone has the right to silence another
merely because they express conflicting views. Members of
society must be able to keep an open mind towards other
individuals "truths". Reason and logic will see to it that
they are capable of readjusting and reconstructing themselves
if they find that there is truth in what another individual
says. This is exactly why individuals and society are
progressive.
The only way a state can progress is by allowing its
members to progress. Supression of individual rights and
happiness will lead to nothing more than stagnation.
Governments are the watchdogs of the people, granting them
liberty to expand without inteferences. Mill undoubtedly
believed in laissez-fairre for the very reason that it
promoted individuality with minimum government intervention.
All said, Mills on liberty held the individual as the nucleus
of society, with everything else revolving.