There is a third reason for Mill’s emphasis on the arguments for free discussion and for freedom generally. He thinks that freedom is increasingly threatened, not so much by the law as by an oppressive public opinion, in England at least.3 Curbing this threat requires a widespread appreciation of why freedom of discussion and other freedoms are important. And the character of Mill’s arguments for free discussion is instructive in this context. They do not particularly emphasise the predicament of those who have been forcibly silenced. Thus we do not hear about the peculiar frustrations of being prohibited from expressing one’s view of the world and exploring it with others. Nor do we hear about the individual’s right to free speech. As a utilitarian
