According to Mills, government should not be attempting to...

According to Mills, government should not be attempting to control individual freedoms, but should be helping individuals develop in society. A society is only as great as the people who are in it. How a person develops should be up to them, but a government should support that development. Ensuring a free flow of factual information and opportunities for open discussion are ways a government can help. Again, he uses history as his support. He says that the history of mankind is a history of intellectual and social progress. All of the advances of our history are based on mans desire to move away from ignorance. We are the only species that has the capacity to reason and develop our intellect for our own benefits. It is the development†¦show more content†¦A lot of Mills critics worried that his society based upon complete individual freedoms would lead to anarchy and chaos. If everyone could do as they pleased how would there be any order? There needed to be some kind of limitations placed on freedom of expression. Mills agreed. Probably one of his most famous quotes outlines what he sees as legitimate limits to freedom of expression. That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with any evil in case he do otherwise. (On Liberty, Chapter 1) This would become known as Mills Harm Principle, and though open to a lot of interpretation, it sets the outline of limitations to freedom of expression in keeping with his Utilitarian beliefs. Actions done for the greatest good forShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Text On Liberty By John Stuart Mill1642 Words   |  7 Pagesspeech. According the text ‘On Liberty’ by John Stuart Mill, his position with respect to free speech is that even one person had a specific opinion, mankind is not given grounds to silence him. Mill’s argument regarding free speech is valid because he protects the liberty of the individual over the popular opinion of society. 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