John Stuart Mill's On Liberty

The western world has many freedoms in comparison to other nations around the world, especially in terms of political liberty; there are, however, many aspects of the political climate that remain turbulent. One of these aspects, the freedom of speech, is powerfully addressed in philosopher John Stuart Mill's novel, On Liberty. Mill argues that, “[i]f all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” he justifies this claim through further explaining that silencing the views of an individual could prove to be harmful not only to the individual, but also society as a whole. This is due to the fact that exchanging opposing views through debating in a in a productive and informative manner can result in …show more content…
Mill goes on to state that an individual with opinions that contrast your own always has a chance of being correct; all arguments contain fragments of the truth, and it is only through discussing the opposing views that the truth will come to the surface, and a mutual agreement can be made(43). Nevertheless, according to Mill, even an incorrect opinion should not, under any circumstances be silenced as doing so goes against the concept of having the liberty to speak freely regarding one’s views. There are, however, certain limitations stated by Mill in regards to his belief that all individuals should have the right to free speech. Mill believes that members of society should be entitled to do as they please, provided that they are not misusing this right through conducting themselves in a bigoted or intolerant manner towards others around them. These attitudes can be exemplified through the obvious dislike for another individual