...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...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
...I define liberty as the condition of being free inside of society from abusive limitations forced by power on restricted of life, conduct, or political perspectives. Liberty is the chance to settle on a decision to expect obligation and acknowledge the results." Liberty is a God-given thought set inside of the heart of all people groups. As the general population in this Nation has looked to common government as their source, we have lost a considerable lot of our fundamental Liberties. Liberty involves obligation. You can't be subject to another person and free in the meantime. In the event that you need to pick the eatery for supper, simply say you are purchasing and everybody will be cheerful to eat where you are paying. An example of liberty is doing what you want, saying what you want, and go anywhere you want without someone telling you otherwise. If you don’t have liberty it’s either because of a law or because of slavery. Slavery hasn’t been around in decades but they are still people who do it. Slavery was one of the biggest issues that resulted in people either not having a liberty or wanting to have liberty but can’t because of slavery. Liberty matters because once upon a time, many people didn’t have liberty. Citizens have certain rights because they have liberty. Without liberty most people wouldn’t be living the lives they are living now. For example if someone was to get arrested, the police is always supposed to read the suspect their Miranda rights or the suspect...
Words: 357 - Pages: 2
...Liberty is defined as the freedom to choose to behave, think, speak or simply be present in an area without fear of punishment. In order to properly understand the concept of liberty, it is important to understand the term power because power develops the freedoms that emerge when discussing liberty; power in this instance is the ability to do or act. In most modern states, the state grants citizens the power to legally engage in certain behaviors as long as these are in obedience to their legal system. Liberty is a relative term as liberties in the modern world are granted by states. This disparity can be observed with the contrast of speech liberties in China with Chinese “ firewall,” which bans social media websites like Facebook. When...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...On Liberty (1859) identified John Stuart Mill’s views on defence of liberty and limited government. Mill asserts that ‘nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised over the individual.’ To encounter individual rights, what if the individual liberties of two people are getting conflict with each other? Mill states liberalism concerns about ‘harm principle’ which ‘the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.’ If the individual action does not directly harm other’s interests, the behaviour should not be interfered in spite of the refusal from general public. Harm is classified as ‘self-regarding’ and ‘other-regarding’ in which the authority can interfere with the latter. ‘Self-regarding’ is defined as harms only concerns personally, his independence of right, in which should not be prohibited under the major premise – being unaffected to any individual else. However, Mill argues that society has the responsibility of warming others to prevent an individual potential danger as other’s interests are going to be infringed . It presents the thought of ‘other-regarding’. Additionally, other-regarding is composed of ‘hurt’ and ‘harm’ among which ‘physical pain (a hurt) does not constitute a harm unless it also entails a setback to an interest.’ According to the excerpt, Mill declares ‘over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign’...
Words: 901 - Pages: 4
...I chose the civil liberties because I think that it is important for someone to choose their own religion and beliefs without causing any trouble. Having the freedom to speak, choose your own religion and to vote for whomever you want to vote for is important to the American people. I chose the subcategory “The Free Exercise Clause”, because it upholds the rights of the American people to decide on any religious belief and to be able to exercise their beliefs without getting in trouble with the law. One example of a public policy that is designed to protect the civil liberty is the “moment of silence” in schools. The moment of silence is done in all the schools in the morning during the announcements and there is silence for 60 seconds with no sounds or interruptions. This gives everyone the opportunity to pray, meditate or even just sit and think without being disturbed. I support this policy because everyone has their own right to pray without disturbing the rights of others and those who don’t chose to pray also have the right to sit without disturbing the ones who are praying. The article that I chose to write about was originally written in the American School Board Journal paper and was written by Edwin Darden in 2008. The title of the article is “Is Silence in the Classroom Really Golden”? He explains that having silence in the classroom is great to have but are we having it in our classroom just for religious purposes? He asks if a mandatory “moment of silence” in public...
Words: 1046 - Pages: 5
...first time to learn about the famous liberty bell. Also, as the most significant symbol for the entire United States, this’s the place where I have always want to go. The liberty bell center is located on market street, it next to the independence hall. First, we entered into the red building-independence hall, there are some historical files in the exhibition room, as everybody known, the declaration of independence was signed in the independence hall, unfortunately, I haven’t seen the manuscript of declaration of independence in there. During this time, the tour guide told us a lot of histories and backgrounds. I have known that the red building was the state government of Pennsylvania a long time ago from what did he talk about. After that, we crossed the street and enter into the liberty bell center, the first thing I could see is a long aisle, it hung many pictures of famous people and historic pictures. finally, I saw the famous liberty bell what I had been expected. The Liberty Bell is displayed in a magnificent glass chamber with Independence Hall in the background, everyone stared at the amazing bell, just like met a hero. Suddenly, I saw the distinctive crack by chance, in my eyes, it represent the trace of long standing history. Even we can see the inscription “Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof” on the top of bell. From my memory of junior school, I remembered that the inscription of liberty bell even was the question in the...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...Today I watch a movie called “statue of liberty”. It is a greatest movie I ever see because it is significant and symbolization. Out of all America’s symbols, none has proved more enduring or evocative than the statue of liberty. Statue of liberty, torch in right hand and clutching a stone tablet in the left hand, has for a century acted as a figurehead for the American dream. It reminds that U.S.A is a land of immigrants. Many people have different view of the word “liberty”. This word is come from French. It is also mean a lot to each American. It symbolizes U.S. is a freedom country. After building the base of statue, the fund is not enough to build the statue from bottom to top. The government is thinking about how to solve this problem. Suddenly, a news paper has post a article about donation to the statue of liberty. After that news paper come out, there are a huge number of people donate for the statue of liberty. This represent that people believe in the statue of liberty and they think the statue will bless them. Because the contribution is huge, the statue of liberty eventually finished to build. Many citizen are exciting about go up to the top of the statue and get a nice view from there. Then the government decides to open the statue of liberty as a landscaped area. There is long line every day since the statue of liberty is open for...
Words: 255 - Pages: 2
...Amanda Lund Professor Leonard ENC 1101 4 February 2014 Mother of Exiles She is the most recognizable woman in the world, but what is the significance of the sexuality of the Statue of Liberty? Most people have little to no knowledge over why this monumental statue is a woman. It has been debated over the years about her true significance. Some believe it was just choice and that she’s just a 152 foot tall, green woman in a robe, with a torch in one hand, book in the other. The truth, the representation of the statue of liberty portrayed as a woman has everything to do with her sexuality, it was not just a coincidence. She was designed and sculpted by the French freeman, Auguste Bartholdi in 1878. It took him and his crew a long 9 years of building until it was finally completed in 1884. It was believed that he had a vision of a “magnificent” goddess with a torch in one hand welcoming visitors to the “land of freedom and opportunity” (Bond). Therefore, as you would guess, he constructed a goddess. Specifically, Libertas meaning “liberty” (“The Statue of Liberty and Statue”), derived from ancient Rome. Her role, to stand for freedom of slavery, oppression and tyranny. Surprisingly, her posture wasn’t based off of the goddess, but on what the Colossus was thought to look like before the earthquake destroyed it in the nineteenth century. Colossus was a statue in the city of Rhodes of a Greek titan Helios. A giant copper statue, standing straight up with head held high...
Words: 499 - Pages: 2
...PIC – Reading – 11.12.17 Liberalism – Reading One Mill, J.S. (2005), 'extracts from 'On Liberty' and Chapters on Socialism' in Festenstein, M., and Kenny, M. eds. (2005), Political Ideologies: a reader and guide. Oxford. OUP. Pp. 78-85. Question(s) 1. What, according to Mill, is the sole justification for restricting individual liberty? 2. In what ways does Mill clarify this argument? 3. Summarise what Mill calls ‘the appropriate region of human liberty’. 4. How do Mill’s comments on the freedom of opinion relate to his comments on freedom of action? Answer(s) 1. A person’s individual liberty must only be restricted, against their will, “to prevent harm to others”. (Mill, 2005, p. 79) This is called the ‘Harm Principle’; an idea proposed...
Words: 1397 - Pages: 6
...Promote Positive Liberty? The idea of liberty, or freedom, varies between different theorists. One theorist, Isaiah Berlin, focused on the difference between two different ways of thinking about political liberty (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Berlin called these two different concepts negative and positive liberty. According to Berlin, negative freedom can be defined as ‘freedom from’, that is, freedom from constraint or interference of others. In contrast, positive freedom can be defined in two ways: ‘freedom to’, that is the ability to pursue and achieve willed goals; and also as autonomy or self-rule, as opposed to the dependence on others (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Keeping the idea of positive liberty at the forefront, this essay will focus on what positive liberty is and whether the government should promote it. As already mentioned, positive liberty can be defined as the ‘freedom to’ (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Smith (2008) adds that positive liberty is “the idea of self-government”. Under positive liberty, a person may decide how they wish to live, but they may unconsciously conform to the beliefs of society, religion or their parents (Smith, 2008). Positive liberty asks the question of “Who, or what, is the source of control or interference?” (Garner et al., 2012). Positive liberty therefore emphasizes the source of control, rather than the area of control associated with negative liberty (Garner, Ferdinand & Lawsom, 2012). Positive liberty is the view that...
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...Liberty Bell Authorizing the Liberty Bell Therefore, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the purchase of a new bell. The Assembly authorized Robert Charles, the Assembly’s London agent, to commission the casting of a bell weighing about 2,000 pounds with inscription instructons provided by the Assembly. On November 1, 1751, Mr. Charles comissioned the White Chapel Bell Foundry to cast the bell. The colony paid about $300 for the bell. In 1732 constructon began on the State House (now called Independence Hall) to house Pennsylvania’s government body—the Pennsylvania Assembly. The bell tower, complete with a bell, was completed in 1751. However, the bell was not audible throughout Philadelphia. Cracking the Original Bell The bell arrived in August 1752—ten months after it was commissioned. The assembly members wanted to test the bell before installing it. However, the bell cracked upon being rung because the metal was extremely brittle. Casting another Bell John Pass and John Stow, two of Philadelphia’s founders, were commissioned to recast and solidify the bell. They broke down the original bell, added more metals to strengthen it, and recast. The new bell was installed in the State House bell tower in March 1753. However, Philadelphians were displeased with its sound. Therefore, Pass and Stow recast the bell once again. The new—and third version—of the Old State House Bell was installed in June 1753. The Old State House Bell became known as the Liberty Bell in 1839 by abolitionists...
Words: 567 - Pages: 3
...Michael Conger AMH 2010 http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/sons-of-liberty Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum Sons of Liberty This internet assignment that I will be writing will focus on the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty was an organization of American colonists that was created to protect the rights of the colonist and to fight taxation that was coming from the British. One of their biggest contributions was that they protested against the Stamp Act which was created to tax printed materials. The name of the site that I will be using is http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/sons-of-liberty. This website that I am using on my assignment is associated with both a virtual and physical museum located in Boston Massachusetts. After doing some research on the website, I could not find any information that related to any missions or purposes but it did mention who the provider of the site was. On the website, it says “this page was developed with the help of one of our great cast members here at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.” On the bottom of the page, there is a picture of another contributor to the website. That is MCCA, which stands for Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. On the main page of the website I am writing about, there is no audio or video material but there are other links that can be clicked on and are accessible to watch learning videos on the Sons of Liberty and other events around that period in time. The way to access those videos is to...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, more commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was a gift to the United Stated from France. It is a monument to American independence given in honor of "the Alliance of the two Nations in achieving the Independence of the United States of America and attests their abiding friendship." The Statue of Liberty resides outside of Manhattan in New York City, on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor. Physically, the statue rises only 151 feet, 1 inch, but it sits on a tall pedestal for a total height from the ground to the torch of 305 feet, 1 inch. This leads many visitors to remark how small it looks in person compared to what they imagined from images of the Statue of Liberty. With that said, her index finger is taller than a man at 8 feet, 1 inch. Clad in copper sheeting 3/32 of an inch thick, the Statue of Liberty contains over 60,000 pounds of copper and a quarter of a million pounds of steel, part of a total of 450,000 pounds. The origin of the Statue of Liberty began with Edouard de Laboulaye, know as the Father of the Statue of Liberty. Leboulaye was born in France in 1811 and became French historian and a leading expert on the Constitution of the United States, and a supporter of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Because Laboulaye firmly believed every person had an inalienable, sacred right to freedom, he spent much of his time encouraging...
Words: 1613 - Pages: 7
...4/12/2012 By: Derek Putnam | | The Sons of Liberty | | The Sons of Liberty | The Sons of Liberty used their power and influence to manipulate popular opinion, thereby inciting the public to act against the laws and control of England. They were one of the most influential groups behind the American Revolution. The start of the Sons of Liberty is something of a mystery. The group always met in secret and it is disputed where it all began. Some say it started in New York and some will say under the leadership of Samuel Adams the Boston chapter was first. One thing is certain though, they all had the same goal, to organize public opinion and coordinate patriotic actions against Great Britain. The Sons of Liberty met at night so not to attract the British soldiers and to keep their activities secret until they felt it was time to make them public. One of the main reasons the groups were started was to protest and campaign against the Stamp Act. That was just the start of what the group would protest against and continue to fight for liberty against Britain. The Sons of Liberty name actually came from a speech given to parliament by Colonel Isaac Barre, “the behavior of Britain’s officials toward Americans on many occasions has caused the blood of those Sons of Liberty to recoil within them”, which wasn’t intended to imply disloyalty towards the crown but when word got back to the colonies and they saw his words they used them to their benefit. Barre...
Words: 1804 - Pages: 8
...The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City. The statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad. The statue is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island, south of Ellis Island. Both islands were ceded by New York to the federal government in 1800.[149] As agreed in an 1834 compact between New York and New Jersey that set the state border at the bay's midpoint, the original islands remain New York territory despite their location on the New Jersey side of the state line. Land created by reclamation at Ellis is New Jersey territory.[150] A universal symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty also celebrates the international friendship of the United States and France. It was given to us as a gift from France. Built to commerate an alliance during the American Revolution, the Statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886...
Words: 509 - Pages: 3
