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Introduction to the social contract theory
Social contract theory for dummies
Social contract theory for dummies
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Freedom is a necessary principle to abide by in order for the human race to function. On the other hand, freedom can be taken advantage of, thus resulting in harmful consequences to those directly and indirectly involved. The article, “On Liberty” by John S. Mills, places emphasis on the functioning of individual liberty and its co-existence with society. Mills stresses the limits of individual liberty through what is famously known as his Harm Principle: "the only purpose for which power may 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" (Cahn). With special consideration placed on drug use and free speech, this paper will delve deeper into the matter of an individual’s sovereignty.
The subject of implemented drug policies has continued to exist in society as a controversial topic. Mills would advocate that drug use is a personal choice and in prohibiting it means prohibiting an individual’s free rights to govern themselves. Though drug use is a personal choice, its usage has affected society in form or the other. The choice weighs heavily on the individual’s interest in his freedom to use drugs against the potential harm this may cause to himself and to others. More recently, the war on drugs have escalated the prohibition of recreational drug use. In order to evaluate its justification, the reasons prohibiting its use need to first be explored.
The most popular argument is that drugs are addictive and users become dependent on its effects to function. If the dependency is not satisfied, it can disrupt the life of the user so that this individual forms a threat to society. Addicted user...
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...to Merriam-Webster dictionary, freedom is the quality or state of being free: as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. If every soul abided by this ultimate rule with the consideration of its effects, society as we know it would be overwhelmingly better. The basic premise of Mill's 'Harm Principle' is that a person has rights to their own decisions and the consequences that follow, however, no one else should be subjected to these consequences. Differing opinions and lifestyles are a progressive force and will eventually lead to an improved civilization and greater happiness.
Citation
Cahn, S. M. (Ed.). (2009). Exploring Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hart, C., Ksir, C., & Ray, O. (2008). Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior (13th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
For Mill, the freedom that enables each individual to explore his or her own particular way of life is essential for a generous and diverse development of humanity. The only source of potential within society to further continue human development is the spontaneity or creativity that lies within each individual. Mill has a utilitarian view on freedom. He was especially keen on individual liberty because it allowed the greatest measure of happiness. His concern is not to declare liberty as a natural right but to rather set out the appropriate constraints within ‘Civil or Social liberty’. Civil liberty is defined as the limit society can exert its legitimate power over each individual and social liberty has much to do with a political principle
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind” (Mill, 2002, pg.14) John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher of the 19th century, and said to be one of the most influential thinkers in the areas regarding social theory, political theory, and political economy had strong views regarding free speech. In his following quote, he states that if all mankind had an opinion or an action, and another individual had a different opinion, mankind would not be justified in silencing that one individual just like that one individual, if given the power to do so, would not be justified in silencing all of mankind. Mill’s argument is that every individual has value, meaning, and power within their opinions and that we should not be the ones to stop them from having the right to state their opinion. Their actions and who they are as a person should not be silenced. In the spirit of the greater good of mankind and freedom of expression, one must have the right to liberty and free expression without being silenced and the right to one’s own freedom.
John Mill’s On Liberty seeks to expound on how individuals and the society can exist as liberal entities without infringing on each other’s rights. Liberty is the condition of being free within the society, that is free from any form of restriction inflicted by authority. He argues that individual freedom is the basis of democracy where people exercise their own free will (Mill 2005). He also rejects the idea of social contract where individuals comply with society for them to gain social benefit (Mill 2005). It is generally thought that social development can only occur if certain constraints are placed on individual liberty. But the contrary is also true, if restriction are placed on people’s freedom, it becomes difficult for them to thrive
Mill was a philosopher, and was a member of the philosophical radicals, which was a group of utilitarian philosophers. His father and Bentham taught him to be the perfect utilitarian such as developing his opinions also ideas. He felt that his "habit of analysis" had destroyed his capacity for emotion. When he was going through a rough time he would get very paranoid. Once that time was over Mill entered a new era, and started to create his book On Liberty.
Liberty is a freedom. According to Mill, liberty is limited with the state’s authority. In the concept of liberty, he adopted the utilitarianism which means the system of thought by states regarding the best actions and decisions in a specific situations which brings advantages to many people in the society. Therefore, Philio Gabriel (2010) highlighted Will’s concept of liberty with the moral theory of utilitarianism whereas individuals themselves being a judges for their consequences.
Hart, Carl L., and Charles Ksir. "Drug Use as a Social Problem." Drugs, Society And Human Behavior. 14th ed. New York City: William R. Glass, n.d. 39-40. Print.
The perception of liberty has been an issue that has bewildered the human race for a long time. It seems with every aspiring leader comes a new definition of liberty, some more realistic than others. We have seen, though, that some tend to have a grasp of what true liberty is. One of these scholars was the English philosopher and economist J.S. Mill. Mill's On Liberty provided a great example of what, in his opinion, liberty is and how it is to be protected. In this essay we will examine Mill's ideals concerning liberty and point out a few things he may not have been realistic about.
Drug in the American Society is a book written by Eric Goode. This book, as the title indicates, is about drugs in the American Society. It is especially about the misuse of most drugs, licit or illicit, such us alcohol, marijuana and more. The author wrote this book to give an explanation of the use of different drugs. He wrote a first edition and decided to write this second edition due to critic and also as he mentioned in the preface “there are several reason for these changes. First, the reality of the drug scene has changed substantially in the past dozen or so years. Second much more information has been accumulated about drug use. And third, I’m not the same person I was in 1972.”(vii). The main idea of this book is to inform readers about drugs and their reality. In the book, Goode argued that the effect of a drug is dependent on the societal context in which it is taken. Thus, in one society a particular drug may be a depressant, and in another it may be a stimulant.
6. Mill, John Stuart. "Freedom of Action." Reprinted in H. LaFollette. Ethics in Practice: An Anthology. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1997).
Meaning that a state or an individual can limit another person’s liberty in an effort to protect the person from self-harm, since it justifies the restricting of liberty to engage in actions that threaten imminent harm to others. As utilitarianism, Mill tries to find the best possible outcome for the greatest number of
John Stuart Mill discusses the concept of liberty in many ways. I’d like to focus on his ideas of the harm principle and touch a little on his thoughts about the freedom of action. The harm principle and freedom of action are just two subtopics of Mill’s extensive thoughts on the concept of liberty. Not only do I plan to discuss and explain each of these parts of the conception of liberty, but I also plan to discuss my thoughts and feelings. I have a few disagreements with Mill on the harm principle; they will be stated and explained.
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
Substance abuse is an issue that plays a major social problem in society, the effect of drugs on families and communities is destructive. This paper will discuss evidence showing how substance abuse is a specific social problem that is widespread, and is affecting every level of our judicial system. Many people turn to drugs for many different reasons, they will try just about anything to relieve the pain. In our society today many people go through devastating experiences in their life. Furthermore people turn to drugs to mask the horrible memories and find relief. Drugs can temporarily relieve the symptoms of angry, loneliness or boredom, but it may be a temporary fix to an individual problems. They may
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.