The Dangers Of Majority Tyranny By John Stuart Mill

The Dangers of Majority Tyranny Mill’s descriptions of restrictions on individual liberty is a greater threat to human well being than Marx’s descriptions of exploitive economic conditions because restrictions on liberty lead to stagnation of everyone in society, not just the workers as Marx describes. Human well being is the ability, as a human, to partake in the decision making process in life and to be prosperous. While the economic conditions for the worker that Marx describes are can be a detriment to the worker and his family, the lack of ability to express one’s self is a greater threat to one’s well being and society as a whole. Freedom, as it relates to an individual’s liberty, is necessary for the progression of one’s self and …show more content…
Mill stresses nonconformity in society because a homogenous society will not thrive. He notes, “all good things which exist are the fruits of originality” (5). The tyranny of the majority is dangerous to all of society because it stunts innovation and the good things that could come from originality. Blocking originality is harm to everyone. Mill adds that individuality helps everyone learn because “diversity lets us see the potential of combining the positive traits of different people” (28). On the other hand, Marx credits the capitalist in society, overlooking the potential of the worker, for society’s growth. “Capital is the governing power over labor, and the capitalist holds all that power” (Marx, 11). He argues that nothing can withstand the power of the capitalist, implying that the opinion and thoughts of the capitalists are the only ones that matter. Placing all control in the hands of the capitalists proves Mill’s argument- valuing the opinion of the majority, whether numerically or by economic power, is a detriment to society. Limiting everyone’s liberty to acquire capital is worse for human kind as a whole because we forego some possibilities of