John Stuart Mill Individualism Essay

Can a person gain complete liberty in a modern democracy? Majority of the people will argue that a democratic government guarantees the freedom of the people and protects the rights of the individuals. However, John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher, claimed otherwise. In his book, On Liberty, Mill believed that there is tyranny in a modern democracy and it takes the form of mass opinion and mass society, and he claimed that individuality can help guard oneself against it.

In On Liberty, Mill claimed that in a modern society, tyranny exists in different forms. One of the forms is “the tyranny of the majority” (4). Mill claimed that personal liberty is threatened by the existence of mass society in which everyone conformed to the same ideas

To explain the concept of individualism, Mill wrote “Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing” (57). He stated that human beings are not machines that can be controlled, but a being with their own tendencies and impulses. Mill wrote about the importance of “originality in thought and action” and spontaneity in human society (62), which he claimed can help an individual gain their personal liberty. Mill also believes that individuality is linked closely to genius. He defined the persons of genius as “more individual than any other people-less capable, consequently, of fitting themselves, without hurtful compression, into any of the small number of molds which society provides in order to save its members the trouble of forming their own characters” (62). Mill claimed that geniuses are the people whose thoughts and ideas do not fit into the usual molds of the majority, but have the power to shape the society. He asserted that the society will develop and thrive if the people are capable to challenge and circulate new and original ideas. The originality, spontaneity and genius will help guard the individual against tyranny because he would be able to construct new ideas and thoughts

He claimed that a person is not born as individual, but acquire the status as an achievement. Mill wrote “A person whose desires and impulses are his own-are the expression of his own nature, as it has been developed and modified by his own culture- is said to have a character. One whose desires and impulses are not his own has no character, no more than a steam engine has a character” (57). Once a person has developed his own thoughts, beliefs and ideas, he can become an individual with his own sets of characteristics, completely different from other people. As he becomes an individual, he would be able to make his own choices and no longer accept any customs or practices without questions. Mill also stated that a person can shield himself from tyranny as long as his actions do not harm or affect others. Mill wrote, “Acts, of whatever kind, which without justifiable cause do harm to others may be, and in the more important cases absolutely require to be controlled by the unfavourable sentiments, and, when needful, by the active interference of mankind” (53). He claimed that an individual should be held responsible and punished if his actions cause harm to other, but he is completely free to participate in any kind of activities as long as the people around him is not affected by