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On Liberty John Stuart Mill Summary

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The Harm Principle: And its Use in Society
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill questions the power that can be placed by society over an individual (Bailey and Martin, 200). Mill identifies two different types of actions; self regarding actions, and other regarding actions. When a person is involved in self regarding actions (actions that only affect the individual doing the action), they should not be bothered by the government. Although, when an individual is involved in other regarding actions (actions which impact other individuals), only then should a forces power be exercised over that person. According to Mill, other regarding actions can be categorized under the terms harm, and offence. A harm is when an action harms someone else. An example …show more content…
An offence is something that would hurt our feelings, and does not need to be handled within the framework of the law. Mill believed that social disapproval and ostracism was enough of a deterrent for self regarding actions, and an offence. In these cases, counsel or advice should be given, instead of elements of force, such as the law, be exercised over an individual to get them to conform. This theory, however, does not extend to freedom of speech, as Mill believes that all ideas should be expressed freely without criticism or judgment. All ideas, no matter how radical, can hold fragments of truth. Therefore, suppressing an idea is conjointly suppressing the truth. The harm principle derives from the utility principle, which argues people should only do things which bring the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest amount of people. Mill believed that when a person exercises non-conformity, …show more content…
In the case of the florist the judicial system ruled in favor of the same-sex couple, issuing a $1000 fine to the women. Regarding hate speech, Canada has clear restrictions on speech involving discrimination. Even though John Mill creates an interesting theory, it is not always upheld in our society even if we can benefit from it. The Western world tries to be very inclusive, which is what causes Mill’s argument to crumble. Actions such as discrimination is not appreciated, and often, drastic measures are taken to ensure it does not take place

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