Liberty Hyde Bailey

whole and due to the fact that society has permitted smoking it would be hypocritical to deny people of it. Furthermore, denying someone of personal sovereignty will ultimately break the social contract because it is supposed to protect the life, liberty, and property of citizens. Another reason why Locke would not support a ban on smoking during pregnancy is because it does not affect the public good. Not every woman smokes and therefore there will always is some healthy children. However, if…

In the age of the Internet personal liberty in speech and thought needs to be left with as little amount of censoring as possible. We see this increased call for censorship because as a society, you see a greater intolerance for truths that go against other people’s beliefs. Like John Stuart Mill, I believe that by maximizing personal liberty of speech we will create a greater society because we will all be free to discuss our views and hear the ones against us to further develop ideas and…

Freedom comes with more responsibility and John Stuart Mill discusses the concept of liberty in numerous ways. However, The Harm Principle and freedom of action are two topics of Mill’s substantial opinions regarding to liberty. The Mill's Harm Principle provides individuals with the liberty to express all opinions, and act as one pleases, but unfortunately not enough to maintain a balanced society. Therefore, I disagree with the idea of Harm Principle, due to unable to implement what should be…

Freedom as a concept implies absolute power over one’s self and property. Through the works of philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques-Rousseau, we have seen different ways of interpreting the role of property and freedom not only in relation to one’s self, but also within a community, and a political society. Hobbes acknowledges the power dynamics in a society that alter the way in which we live and consequently rebel. He understands the mutual relationship of property and freedom as a…

Barack Obama’s Farewell Speech can be examined through the different theoretical lenses of liberalism and Ubuntu. Liberalism is often called “idealism” and describes how the world ought to be while pushing it in that direction(Zook 2017) Ubuntu theory is that “a person is who s/he is only because of the existence of others and because of his/her coexistence with them”(van der Walt, 108). Both theories have rather different origins, but liberalism and Ubuntu can be brought together to look at the…

hateful and Islamophobic content that, (from the complainant’s point of view) allowed for no opportunity to be countered. There are parallels between John Stuart Mill’s work On liberty and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms enacted by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on what boundaries to place on such a precious liberty. Both generally conclude that a person’s freedoms must not be infringed upon unless they harm others in society. Does the publishing a critical opinion of one’s religion…

The harm principle, as espoused by John Stuart Mill in his 1859 text On Liberty, is perhaps one of the most important components of liberal political theory. He argues that ‘the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection.’ Certainly, the harm principle lies right at the heart of liberal individualism . This essay will analyse Mill’s conception of the harm principle and consider its…

In the Second Discourse on Inequality, Jean Jacque Rousseau outlined the origin and development of private property. The formation of the hut is the first step towards the ultimate creation of society as families and communities start to form. Unlike savage man who’s primary motivation was self-preservation, civilized man embraced amour propre as they begin to compare their strengths and abilities of others. Although Rousseau argues that the invention of private property is not natural, it is…

Radical Revolution Vs. Gradual Change When we hear the terms “liberal” and “conservative” in the media today, we often associate “liberals” skewed to the left on the political spectrum, and “conservatives” skewed right. For the longest time, the term “liberal” outlines a society that is free with a democratic extent. Classical liberalism is based upon Locke’s philosophy of individual rights. Locke’s philosophy entails that a government exists to protect the natural and unalienable…

In his book, “On Liberty”, John Stuart Mill makes an argument in favor of individual freedom for the betterment of both society and the individual. To justify his belief in individual freedom, Mill uses Utilitarianism. Individuality pushes society towards the adaptation of truth. Only through discussion does mankind become “capable of rectifying [its] mistakes” and able to find truth (Mill 1). In order for discussions to hold value, a multitude of beliefs and individual experiences are essential…