...John Stuart Mill: On Liberty Name: Sedig Elhassan Student Number: 210916914 Professor: Marc Weinstein Teacher’s Assistant: Paul amazzoc Course Code: HREQ 1720 John Stuart Mill was known as a political economist, British philosopher and influential contributor to social and political theory. J.S. Mill was famous for his writing on individual liberty and utilitarianism (). He believed individual liberty is essential in evolving society as well as unleashing the truth (). Mills ideas stretched to governing every aspect of human liberty promoting change, innovation, and the development of societies. His greatest concern was that human beings will form into a “collective norm” where human innovation would not exist; thus, Mill created unique conditions in which his concepts of individual liberty may flourish. Although his notions became problematic he was still able to clarify the benefits that came with individual liberty. J.S. Mill clearly illustrated the significance of individual liberty, while interlinking the cultural effects on individual liberty. Mainly, J.S. Mill emphasis the abolishment of tyranny whether politically or socially while promoting a simplistic yet effective view on societal growth and individual liberty. Mill created a view that attempt to create utilitarianism in a society that seemed too governed by limited scope. John Stuart Mill solidified the concept on individual liberty by developing the harm principle which argued that individuals should...
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...John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty and Same-Sex Marriage Legalization There has been a significant amount of controversy in the past few years leading up to the current regarding the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States. In the recent election, many states have voted in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriage. However, there has been little movement towards legalization on the federal level. Earlier this year, President Obama made the statement supporting the idea that same-sex marriage should be legal. Thus, making a statement on one of the most vexed, and politically charged social issues being faced in the United States presently. Obama made this statement knowing that in a few months he would be announcing his campaign for reelection, and thus received fierce opposition from many groups as well as his Republican opponent in his race for reelection. My personal stance on this issue is that without a doubt, same-sex marriage should be legalized. In the process of legalization, it would give every American citizen regardless of sexual orientation the ability to marry and their union to be recognized on the federal level. Many individuals might argue that this would degrade the sanctity of marriage, but with the percentage of marriages ending in divorce or otherwise that argument can hardly be supported. Another opposition that is brought up repeatedly is that the Bible and other religious scriptures do not speak in support of same-sex marriage and...
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...doubt everything, the author comes to the conclusion that his body and his senses must not exist, but does that mean he himself does not exist either? And if one doubts the existence of his or her body and senses, then the rest of the world must not exist either, therefore, one is persuaded that he himself does not exist. This leads the author to the conclusion that he exists, since he was there to be persuaded. Descartes reasons that while we must doubt everything, "doubting" is a form of thinking, which is solid proof that the he that is doing the thinking exists, and is a thinking thing. If something is believed to be true by the majority or the ruling class, does not necessitate it to be true. John Stuart Mill in On Liberty emphasizes three types of liberty; the first one he discusses to no coincidence is the freedom of thought. Mill argued that for an opinion or belief to be considered true, they must be challenged and debated. The only way one can be confident that he /she is right is to ensure complete liberty to contradict his or her opinions. A minority thought or opinion must not be suppressed simply on the basis of it being a minority,...
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...ENGL 120H Dr. Robert E. Fox October 6, 2015 The Fight for Democracy Is a “Tyranny of the Majority” happening right now in America, the way that John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville described it? Has our system of supposed equality turned against us to a point where the voice of the minority has been drowned out by that of the majority? Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman seems to disagree in his article, “Knowledge Isn’t Power”[1], in which he talks about how the argument for improving education is just a cover-up for talking about the real, underlying issue: that most of the power in the United States is being controlled by a small group of people with most of the money, and that this group is actively trying to keep all of the money to themselves through monopoly. This idea seems to go against that of Mill and Tocqueville’s; the power lies in the 1% of Americans, an extremely small minority. Furthermore, although most of the majority is able to freely speak their mind in various mediums, such as social media, online newsletters, and blogs, they are largely powerless to make much change in the political and economic sphere. Yet another example that a small group holds all of the power! The point to note here is that the current system of oppression of the poor by the rich was allowed to happen under the same circumstances that Mill and Tocqueville feared would lead to the tyranny of the masses. Although we as a nation had cast away the oppressive monarchy, we...
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...Roshwald (2000) emphasized the importance of freedom with these words; ‘’Give me liberty, or give me death’’ (p.1). However, in today’s world, freedom is limited by dictators or majorities. J.S.Mill (1859), claims that, majority, which means the most active part of the society, may desire to oppress minorities and precautions are needed against this abuse of power. Mill raised awareness and warned against tyranny of majority. Social tyranny is more formidable than political oppressions, because tyranny of majority limits freedom of thought, prevents social progress, which is the beginning of all corruptions, and it is more difficult to escape and severer to endure than oppressive political regimes. First of all, majority’s opinions, values and norms determine all society’s values and point of views. Tyranny of majority can manipulates and suppresses minority’s thoughts and opinions. One step further, social tyranny may limit freedom of thought. According to K.Stone (2008), ‘’ Social tyranny penetrates even more deeply into everyday life, into the soul itself’’ (p.1). Starting from this point of view, tyranny of majority has a great power hence; it can manipulate all people thoughts easily and penetrates in all thoughts. Most in demand thoughts and are popular thought which can determined by majority. Stone (2008) clarified that, ‘’ ascendant part of the social structure, the big part of the country generally emanates from the interest of the upper class and determines their...
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...Name Instructor Course Date Machiavelli and Mill’s democracy During the 16th century, Europe was governed by a monarchy. This was a king who ruled his territory solely and enjoyed the support from a group of nobles. Niccolo Machiavelli authored the book “The Prince” on the basis of the European feudal system, in which, he taught basic rules surrounding governance for a leader based on his understanding. According to Machiavelli, it is better for a leader (prince) to be feared by his subjects rather than loved. In addition, a leader should strive to clinch on power at all costs since they possess the power to do everything in the interest and benefit of the state (Held, 201). Various democratic principles are evident in the office of the President, congressmen, and the common citizens of the United States. Nevertheless, the constitution bars leaders from exhibiting the characteristics of Machiavelli’s prince via laying down a system of power checks and balances. Numerous concepts put forward by Machiavelli can presently be practiced by the President because he remains as the most senior leader of the nation. Moreover, Machiavelli’s most outstanding aspect of democracy is that a capable leader should do all he can in his capacity to remain in power. Evidently, numerous presidents in many nations share this wish and express their willingness to go to severe measures to retain their offices. Politicians; for instance are willing to spend huge amounts of dollars at each campaign...
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...Is multiculturalism compatible with individual rights? Multiculturalism can be defined as a form of identity politics which aims to link personal and social life, seeing individuals as embedded in a particular cultural, social institution or ideological context, advocating equality, rights and cohesion between all different cultural groups. Therefore it is rooted in communitarianism, the idea that we are shaped and defined by the community we live in, and advocates minority group rights. Individual rights are a liberal idea which advances the interests of every individual person, rather than the rights of a group of people. Liberals hold a central belief in the rights of the individual, stemming from the belief that we are all rational, autonomous beings capable of making our own decisions in our own best interests, protecting our own individual freedom. Multiculturalism on the other hand does not specifically extend the rights of the individual, instead, advancing the rights of minority groups as a whole, embedded in the idea of group and social identity. Therefore, Liberals have accused multiculturalists of being ‘just another form of collectivism’ not respecting the rights of individuals. For example, Amartya Sen attacked ‘solitaristic’ theory which underpins multiculturalism. This suggests human identities are formed by membership of a single social group, which can lead to miniaturisation of humanity and increases violence as people identify with only their own monoculture...
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...from what you decided, who gets denied a needed benefit, and why. The document is to be in the form of an official memorandum that will be kept for the record and could be potentially read by not only your Peer Review Committee, but also possibly those involved in charitable fundraising to support hospital development and others with financial interests in the choice made. You will see in the You Decide tab that there is time pressure in the simulated situation to make your decision, so remember that you would not have the luxury to dawdle in the decision-making process, and as the decision-maker, you would not have the luxury of consulting others. It all falls on YOU! Include in the document the utilitarian ethical philosophy of John Stuart Mill (from the lecture and audio for this week) and ONE OTHER ETHICAL PHILOSOPHER of your choice that we have studied to date, and use both of those philosophies to bolster your decision. This paper will be at least two double spaced pages but limited to three pages. Remember both professional written form and potential audience, as well as tone when writing this sensitive paper. Lecture The history of ethics is as long as education itself, and it should be clear that theories of ethics have arisen when two conditions are present: the cultural need for a new way of thinking through ethics (metaethics) and a particularly talented teacher to speak and write it out. Utilitarian ethics is the most...
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...On John Stuart Mill’s production On Liberty has not only became one of the most widely known political and philosophical writing, but also produces one of the fundamental political questions on finding the balance in between liberty, democracy and authority. Although Mill’s writing was deeply influenced by Bentham’s Utilitarianism philosophy, Mill’s theory in On Liberty emphasized more around the value of individuality, equality and liberty (Donner, 1991; Skorupski, 1998). All three elements focused on by Mill, are closely connected in democratic society, Mill’s major fear was the emergence of dictatorship based on majoritarian and conformist behavior within a society (Skorupski, 2006). This essay will focus on examining Mill’s liberal ideas within On Liberty, his concept on the limitation of government’s authority, and will also suggest possible conditions where Mill’s ideas may apply in modern society. Liberty and authority are two factors that are constantly conflict. Liberty could not only mean the working of self-government and individuality, but also mean the right of freedom. Similarly, if a democratic society is lack of individuality; it could means the lack of freedom as well as the lack of what makes human. On the contrary, Skorupski (2006: p40) pointed out: “liberty meant ‘protection against the tyranny of political rulers’.” Indeed, limiting state’s authority could means preserving individuals’ rights, yet, at the same time society must give government enough power...
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...Nietzsche: His philosophy and “Beyond Good and Evil” And Marxists vs. Mill’s view of socialism 1- Describe Nietzsche’s basic philosophy and his “New Morality” as revealed in his “Gay Science”, “Twilight of the Idol’s” books. Then choose one of his writings in his book “Beyond Good and Evil” and describe the philosophy he attempts to reveal. Conclude with your opinion on his philosophy of religion and his view of the Cosmos. Born on October 15, 1844 in the small town of Röcken, near Leipzig, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German poet and philosopher, a classical philologist and a professor of Greek at the University of Basle. He was the author of many works that talked about religion, morality, culture, philosophy, science using a unique style and radical questioning of the value and objectivity of truth. In his writings, Nietzsche called for revision of all values; he rejected organized religion attacking Christianity and other religious institutions as contributors to what he called “slave morality”. He was, also, equally critical of democratic institutions whose singular vision and courage, according to him, produce a “master morality” and he called the rule by mass mediocrity. Nietzsche also believed that European materialism have led to decadence and decline. He died on August 25, 1900. In his works, he voiced the sentiments of radical moralists. He was deeply critical of his own times and he called for a revision of all values. The major...
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...A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls Tier III 415A Home Page A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971. This outline of an extended book review is based in large part on notes composed by Darrell Huwe. I have attempted with limited success to understand Rawls' book - please do not regard this as being in any sense an authoritative summary of Rawls' thought. I personally find this book particularly difficult to penetrate, perhaps because my training is in the physical sciences rather than philosophy, and I generalize quite beyond the evidence when I suspect that others also find it less than accessible. I hope that this review is helpful. The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an article, "The Enduring Significance of John Rawls", by Martha Nussbaum. John Rawls died at age 81 on November 24, 2002. Dick Piccard General Conception All social primary goods - liberty and opportunity, income and wealth, and the bases of self-respect are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favored. Social Contract John Locke: Free people need to agree on some ground rules in order to live together in harmony. Utilitarianism John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham: Act so as to maximize good (pleasure) in the aggregate. Later twist: minimize pain. From either perspective, your actions are judged good or bad depending on the consequences they have for you and...
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...Terms: Pluralism- existence of different groups within society: the existence of groups with different ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds within one society SOCIOLOGY social policy and theory: the policy or theory that minority groups within a society should maintain cultural differences, but share overall political and economic power Tyranny- A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority. Absolutism – political system: a political system in which the power of a ruler is unchecked and absolute theory of objective values: a philosophical theory in which values such as truth or morality are absolute and not conditional upon human perception something absolute: a standard, principle, or theory that is absolute Utilitarianism: ethical doctrine of greatest good: the ethical doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the criterion of the virtue of action doctrine based on value of usefulness: the doctrine that the value of an action or an object lies in usefulness utilitarian quality: the quality of being designed primarily for practical use rather than beauty Libertarianism: advocate of individual responsibility: somebody who believes in the doctrine of free will advocate of individual freedom: somebody who believes in the principle that people should have complete freedom of thought and action Categorical Imperative: Kantian...
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...Week One – Three theories of ethics From early childhood on, we live in a world of choices, actions and consequences. Some acts make us happy, others sad, some guilty, others proud, and many actions just get us through the day. We observe other people and experience feelings of empathy, sympathy, envy, embarrassment, censure. We judge (or “think about”) the actions of ourselves and others according to criteria gathered over time from family, friends, mentors and society at large. Philosophers stand outside this “circle of living,” to observe the hows and whys of what we do and become who we are, and try to interpret that. So do artists, poets and novelists. But philosophers choose to situate individual beings and their actions within larger theoretical settings, called principles. They search for the defining principles that guide our actions, and for general descriptions that will explain the way things are and what they mean. This effort is to help us both understand ourselves better and act better. As philosophers have considered human experience, three fundamental areas have been elicited: How and what we know, think or understand ------> theory What we create, produce or make -------> arts How we act, what we do or should do -------> practice The third strand will be the focus of our exploration in this seminar: How should we act? What should we be, or become? This debate is known as...
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...epidemic in the estimation of many observers. This rather bleak picture is probably the one most familiar to what has become a very cynical populace. We have come to think of ourselves as current or potential victims of evil corporations. Is business evil incarnate? Of course it isn't. Is business completely innocent of the charges against it? Again, the answer is no. The truth lies somewhere in between. It is, after all, the modern enterprise, with all of its strengths and weaknesses, that has brought to larger numbers of people around the world, a level of material comfort and cultural opportunities than has ever before existed. Businesses must be doing something right. In fact, while business has less than a stellar reputation, the vast majority of its activities are either positive or benign. Just look around. Can you not, at any time of the day or night, find food to eat at a local eatery or grocery store? Doesn't the money to purchase said food come from some enterprise that provides wages? When you turn the knob, doesn't water, hot or cold, come out? When you turn on the television or radio, aren't you presented...
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...ability to govern themselves, make decisions and act upon those decisions. Self-Government. Democracy – A government ruled by the people, and consisting of ‘the people’. Direct Democracy – Electors (the people) vote on every Government Issue. Representative – Electors vote in a person to represent ‘the people’. Ideology – A set of rules, morals and political views that governments base their ideals on. Usually includes a view of human nature. Social Contract – The mutual agreement between the people and the government on issues that affect the country and the people within, such as rights and duties. Theocracy – Government, which subscribes to the ideals of religion. Rule by god. Tyranny – Government by one unelected individual who imposes his will upon the population. Note: Some Tyrannies may be elected into power through deception. Eg, Hitler’s German Nazi Party Capitalism – A society in which everybody works for their own gain, and/or financial development. Can lead to massive growth in middle classes. Political Philosophy is aimed at analysing how a society works and how they are governed by a ruling power. It seeks to evaluate the different ethical and political standpoints in different political parties, and analyse how they affect the citizens of the country/state. Some key ideologies include; Conservatism Tradition and custom is more important than change, unless change is desperately needed. Will tend to view human nature as innately selfish. It is government’s...
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