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John Stuart Mill's Freedom Of Thought

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How important is freedom of thought? Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, "Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom & no such thing as publick liberty without freedom of speech." Freedom of thought is defined as the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints1. In Chapter 2 of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, Mill addresses the issue of whether people should be allowed to limit, or eliminate, anyone’s thoughts or opinions. Earlier, in Chapter 1, Mill states there should be, “absolute freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects, practical or speculative, scientific, moral, or theological2. One of the most fundamental personal freedoms is the freedom …show more content…
By not being allowed to discuss and defend the opinion I had regarding the assignment, my teacher had prevented myself, and anyone else that may have had a similar opinion, from learning where we may have been correct or incorrect. Her ardent disagreement with my opinion showed she seemed to be of the certainty that since my opinion differed from hers that it was wrong, and since she was the one teaching the course her opinion must have been infallible. According to Mill, we should allow, and even encourage free speech and discussion, even if it might challenge something that you believe to be true. No matter how deeply you believe something, you could be wrong. You could end up getting closer to the truth by listening to others’ opinions and considering differing viewpoints. It is this discussion that will help you to understand why you believe what you believe, rather than just accepting something because you were told to. If you understand why you believe something, you are more likely to act on it and be able to defend it. Everyone can benefit and learn as a result of freedom of thought and expression. As Mill puts it, “the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race…[it robs] those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold

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