EliHersberger EuropeanHistory1848Present SourceReport Dr.

MarkAngelos th April5 ,2006

JohnStuartMillandHarrietTaylorsOnLiberty
ARenaissancemanbornintheVictorianera,JohnStuartMillexcelledinevery philosophicalandpoliticalfieldavailableincludingmetaphysics,epistemology,ethics,social andpoliticalphilosophy,philosophyofreligion,philosophyof education,economics,romanticism,conservatism,politicaleconomy, publicpolicy,andofcourse,liberty.Oneofhismostcontroversial works, OnLibertyarguedthatultimatelyindividualswerefreetodoas theypleasedaslongastheydidnoharmtoothers.Publishedin1859, Millcontendedthatheandhiswife,HarrietTaylor,hadworked togethertoproducethisintellectualmasterpiecethroughintenseconversationovertheyears (Rees,7). WhileHarrietwouldprovetobeinfluentialtomanyofhiswritings,specificallythose onwomensrights,hisfather,JamesMill,probablyhadthemosteffectontheidealsofhis son.Hebeganteachinghimtheclassicsattheageofthreethisformershoemakerhadhigh hopesforhissontobringinthenewcenturyasthespokesmenforhisutilitarianideology (Kishlansky,ed.159).Attheageofeight,littleJohnnywasreadingSocratesinGreek, CiceroinLatin,andwritingSpanishandRomanhistory.Bytheageoffourteen,hehad alreadymasteredthePrincipiaMathematicaofNewtonandAdamSmiths,TheWealthof Nations. (Capaldi,67).Whiletaughttheprinciplesofutilitarianismandradicalismby Bethemandhisfather,Millwouldeventuallyadjusttheseviewpointstofitwiththetimesand

2 movetoromanticismandconservatism.Hewroteaboutthedefinitionofpoetryandcritiqued manyformsthereof.Hewasalsoconvincedthattraditionalsystemsofgovernmentshould guidesocietiestodowhatisbestfortheircitizens. In OnLiberty,hestatesthatmediocrecitizensmustbeguidedbythecounselsand influenceofmorehighlygiftedandinstructedminds(Duncun,260). Millbelievedthat onlycertainpeopleshouldrule.Hewasskepticalofpoorlyrundemocracy,especiallyafter readingTocquevillesDemocracyinAmerica. ThisanalysisprovidedMillwithmoreideas onhowlibertyshouldplayaroleinsociety.Completelibertyandtotalpoliticalequalityina democracycouldnotwork,simplybecauseofapossibletyrannyofthemajority(Qualter, 883).JohnStuartMillwasamanthatcontinuallywidenedhisscopeofknowledge,making itmorecomplicatedtounderstandexactlywhatheheldtoandwhathedidnot.Hewasnot extremelywealthy,butwasamemberoftheupperclassduringatimeofworkingclass conflict. In OnLiberty,Millwaswritingtoadiverseaudience.Hismainlistenersweretobe thegovernmentforwhichhewouldbecomeamemberofin1865.Hebelievedthemajority ofpeopledonotrealizetheimportanceoflibertyasanecessaryconditionofcivilization, instruction,education,andcultureand,thusthosehighlyinstructedmindsshould acknowledgeitanddefendit(Mill,161).Healsoappealedtotheworldatlarge,fullof regimesthatarehamperingthefreedomsoftheirpopulation.Hewarnedthatdiminishing thepoweroftheindividualiseasytodoandtendstobecomemoreattractiveandgrowuntil moralconvictioncanonceagainberaisedtohinderitsefficacy(Mill,160).Healsowas respondingtomoralandsocialreformerswhobelievedthatindividualismwasdetrimentalto society.Instead,hefeltthatfreescopeshouldbegiventovarietiesofcharacter(Mill,161).

3 SourcesoftheWest onlyprovidedthereaderwithasmallpieceoftheintroductionof thisfivepartwork.Still,itwasherethatMillsummarizedandarticulatedhismainpoints. OnLibertywasanessaythat,accordingtoJ.S.Mill,wasintendedforonepurpose.Itwasto asserttheprinciplethatpowercanonlyberightfullyexercisedoveranymemberofa civilizedcommunityagainsthiswilltopreventharmtoothers(Mill,159).Inotherwords, eachandeverypersonhastherighttodowhateverheorshewantsaslongasitdoesnothurt hisorherfellowman.Overhimself,overhisownbodyandmind,theindividualis sovereign(Mill,159).Hethenliststhethreeformsoflibertyeachofwhichmustbepresent foranysocietytobetrulyfree.Libertyofthoughtallowspeopletoexpressthemselves. Libertyofpursuitsencouragesnewideas.Millinsistedthatevenifthesepursuitsaredeemed stupidorwrong,theyshouldnotbethwarted iftheyareharmless.Lastly,libertyofassembly createsmoreorganizedthoughtandallowsasolidbaseforconviction. Tosumuphisclaims,Millaskedsomepracticalquestions,amethodnodoubtlearned fromhisGreekphilosophytraining.Thethreequestionsallfocusaroundone,Howmuchof humanlifeshouldbeassignedtoindividuality,andhowmuchtosociety?(Mill,161).His answerwasthatsocietiesshouldprotecttheircitizensfromthosewhoencroachontheirrights orthosewhohinderfulfillmentoftheirpursuits.Individualityshouldbeexercisedwhenonly theinterestsofhimselfareinvolvedandhavenobearingonsocietyasawhole.Heendedhis introductionmaintainingthatnooneofaccountableagehastherighttotellanyoneelseof accountableagewhattodo. MillconsideredOnLibertyhisgreatestworkprimarilybecauseoftherolehiswife hadinproducingit.Shepassedin1858,sohesimplyleftitasitwasandhaditpublishedin 1859.MillstatesinhisautobiographythattheywroteittogethertokeepMillfrombecoming

4 overgovernmentoriented(Mill,214). OnLibertywaswrittenatatimewhensocial equalitywasencouragedandpublicopinionwasgainingpower.Atthesametime,an industrialrevolutionwascontinuingtoprovidenewideasandwaysoflivingthatweremore individualistic.Millfavoredthelatterandemphasizedthatthisgrowingpowermustbe stoppedsoasnottostuntanddwarfhumannature(Mill,216). Hisworkisinthegenreofprose. ReferredtobyMillasanessay,OnLibertywasa fivepartdocumentinwhichMillattemptedtoexplainhisbeliefsonliberty.Itwasa mentallyaccessiblepieceofliteraturetoanyintelligentnineteenthcenturyperson.Millasked hisownquestionsandrespondedtohisowncriticismsinthework.Persuasiveinnature,his hopewasobviouslythatmanyParliamentmemberswouldreaditandconsiderhimin upcomingelections. AnassumptionmadebyMillwasthatsocialreformerswereinfluencinggovernments toomuch.Todefendhumannaturesneedtoexperimentandbespontaneous,heproposed thatthelibertyoftheindividualwasanecessarycomponentofcivilization.Healsoassumed thatworkingpeoplewouldwarmuptothisideaoffreedomandselfpreservation,andwould shyawayfromgovernmentregulationandlimitstoliberty. Thisdocumentisbelievableformanyreasons.Theemotionalconnectionwiththis workandMillswifeleadmetobelieveitsvalidity.Theyearsspentwritingitmeantthat discussionwasavailableforthistopic.Peoplewerethinkingabouttheextentlibertycould reach.J.S.Millsautobiographyrecordedthehistoryoftheaccount.Thecontentofthe documentisstillinuse,especiallyamongthelibertariansofAmerica.Thehandsoffpolicy ofgovernmentwhennotprotectingtheinterestsofitscitizensisanissueMillandlibertarians wouldagreeupon.

5 Thesocietythatproducedthisdocumentwasconcernedwithtoomuchgovernment power.Socialreformshaddemoralizedthemanwhomarchedtoadifferentdrummer,and Millwantedtoreenergizethistypeofperson.Uniformitywasalegitimatethreattohuman natureatthistime.Legislativecoercionwasoccurringlibertywasbeingthreatened. Thisdocumentreaffirmedmypositionthatseatbeltlawsareignorant.Iamhurtingno one,andmylibertytochoosewhetherornotIwearaseatbeltisbeinglimited.Iappreciate Johnsanalysisofthegrowingthreatofgovernmentslimitingliberty.Iespeciallylikehis callforabarrierofmoralconvictiontostopthisgrowth(Mill,160).AlthoughIcannot thinkofanycleversimilaritiesbetweenthetwo,asitisfoura.m.,JohnStuartMillandJon StewartoftheDailyshowhavethesamenamealmost.

Bibliography
Capaldi,Nicholas.JohnStuartMill:ABiography.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress, 2004. Duncan,Graeme.MarxandMill:TwoViewsofSocialConflictandSocialHarmony. Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1973. Mill,JohnS.Autobiography.London:OxfordUniversityPress,1873.
th Mill,JohnS.OnLiberty.SourcesoftheWest:ReadingsinWesternCivilization.6 ed. EditorMarkA.Kishlansky.NewYork,NY:PearsonLongman,2006.159162.

Qualter,TerenceH.JohnStuartMill,DiscipleofdeTocqueville.TheWesternPolitical Quarterly,Vol.13,No.4.(Dec.,1960):880889.JSTOR.4Apr.2006 <http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0043 4078%28196012%2913%3A4%3C880%3AJSMDOD%3E2.0.CO%3B2Z>. Rees,JohnC.JohnStuartMills:OnLiberty.Oxford:ClarendonPress,1985.