I recently read John Stuart Mill’s 1859 essay On Liberty, in which he defends free thought, free expression, and the freedom on an individual to decide what sort of life she will lead. It’s not too long, but here is the tl;dr: Mill is concerned with unpopular opinions and behaviors. He worries that the government will follow the will of the majority, and suppress the opinions of the minority. Mill argues that to silence the expression of an unusual opinion hurts the silencers more than the silenced. If the silenced opinion is true, then stopping its expression prevents dissenters from correcting their errors. If the silenced opinion is false, airing it would deepen the understanding and vigor of those who hold the correct point of view.
John Stuart Mill's On Liberty in 2021
John Stuart Mill's On Liberty in 2021
John Stuart Mill's On Liberty in 2021
I recently read John Stuart Mill’s 1859 essay On Liberty, in which he defends free thought, free expression, and the freedom on an individual to decide what sort of life she will lead. It’s not too long, but here is the tl;dr: Mill is concerned with unpopular opinions and behaviors. He worries that the government will follow the will of the majority, and suppress the opinions of the minority. Mill argues that to silence the expression of an unusual opinion hurts the silencers more than the silenced. If the silenced opinion is true, then stopping its expression prevents dissenters from correcting their errors. If the silenced opinion is false, airing it would deepen the understanding and vigor of those who hold the correct point of view.