Critical Account of Mill’s Liberty Principle Essay

There are essentially two polar views in relation to the liberty of people within society. Anarchist fundamentally believe that the state should have no power to impose limits on its people, whilst those in favour of total government control, believe that liberty should be disregarded and the state allowed to implement any law or policy that it so chooses. In his work ‘On Liberty (1859), John Stuart Mill outlines an alternative, which is a mix of these polar policies. He produced a formula which allows freedom of the individual with some limitations, which is now known as the ‘Liberty Principle. He disregards tyranny as a suitable form of government, but reasons that total freedom would allow abuses to occur. However, Mill’s work was†¦show more content†¦However, this can only exist under the conditions of free speech and expression, limited only by the potential harm that may affect another. If society adheres to these measures then it would effectively b e following the Liberty Principle. (Mill, 1984) Throughout the text, Mill makes it clear that the only time government can intervene in individual lives is to prevent harm that they may cause to others. In chapter 5 he raises some examples that rank as ‘harm.’ He states explicably that using drugs or owing poison should not be banned as long as the individual does not place anyone in harm’s way. The police can limit certain actions that can cause harm, such as forcing violent drunks not to drink. Notably, he claimed that there are acts which performed in private are acceptable, but if those actions where performed in public they may be offensive to others which allows it to fall within the sphere of harm, such as sexually activities. (Mill, 1984) However, this then begs the question, how offensive must an action be to fall within harm’s sphere? He ruled ‘public indecency’ as offensive but it is difficult to see how this causes ‘harm’ based on the his earlier premise that mere offense is not harm. Would persons of different sexually orientations or religions cause harm to others who are against that type of lifestyle? Critics believe that in this instance Mill had allowed his own morals toShow MoreRelatedPhilosophical Approach Of John Stuart Mill1686 Words   |  7 Pagesconception of liberty is? Liberty has the ability to challenge ideas of the past into new ones. Mill expressed his understanding about liberty in several ways in his essay named, On Liberty. In this paper, I will strongly explain the significance of quotation, assumptions mills argument depends upon, limitations in the right of free speech and agreement with Mill’s points of view. Without further ado; let me activate th e critical analysis of Mill’s approach regarding liberty. 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