On Liberty

Thus, the only time a person can be sure he is right is if he is constantly open to differing opinions; there must be a standing invitation to try to disprove his beliefs. Second, there is the criticism that governments have a duty to uphold certain beliefs that are important to the well being of society. Only "bad" men would try to undermine these beliefs. Mill replies that this argument still relies on an assumption of i... ... middle of paper ... ...s beliefs are not reflected in their conduct. As a result, people do not truly understand the doctrines they hold dear, and their misunderstanding leads to serious mistakes.

Its use of power cannot be justified if it trespasses on the rightful sphere of individuality". The liberty principle has many subsections, which allow it to work; to just leave people free to do as they please does not make a society legitimate. In fact, this would horrify Mill, because he is particularly worried about the tyranny of the majority, and in this society an irrational majority could easily exact a tyranny upon the rational minority, as there would be no safeguards or restraints. The liberty principle is put into place to stop this happening. Mill is interested in the restrictions that law is allowed to place on people, but he is also interested in the moral and social pressure that can be exerted by society upon individuals.

To healthily exercise liberty, one must responsibly censor degrading comments and actions that could infringe upon the rights of another individual. Mill advocates for free speech on several grounds, first and foremost on the basis of the protection of an individuals social liberty. He states that the entirety of the essay is not about the “liberty of the will” but more the “civil or social liberty of an individual” (Mill,1) This characterizes that Mill cares more about the individual and their needs than what the majority is in favor of. His belief that the weaker should have constant protection against the stronger affirms that government should preferentially guard and support those being attacked by a greater force. This will be furthe... ... middle of paper ... ...y are stifling the students an opportunity to defend themselves.

Those who fall outside of this category would therefore believe that we are not bound over to obey the law and that in fact we should be morally obliged to disobey any law that we consider to be immoral. There is however a problem with this situation, in so much as it relies on appealing to a set moral code to justify our actions and such a moral code is merely an abstracted system of laws. I believe that we can be morally justified in disobeying laws, which we consider to be immoral and there are several reasons for this. I believe that it is only possible to happily live in accordance with our own moral code, it may also be possible to live without too much dissatisfaction within the bounds of laws, which dictate a stricter moral code than our own. However I do not believe that it is possible to happily exist under a system of law whereby we are obliged at times to break our own code of morality.

Altman appeals to his own morals in which giving individuals the equality that is due to them and the right to not be treated as a lesser member of society are of ultimate importance. Albeit good morals, I am more inclined to appeal to my own; to fight for yourself, to find strength in discouraging situations, and to reduce the evil of ignorance by rising above and against it. When people can learn to accept that hate is never going to disappear so long as everyone is different then maybe they might stop taking ignorant speech personally. Until then, regulation of hate speech should not be permitted to occur.

De Beauvoir would likely counter this possible problem as she would argue that the pressure from society and restrictions from the government are not severe enough to necessitate a claim to oppression from the individual in question. She holds that freedom requires “surpassing the given,” but also distinguishes between the importance of whether the given derives from the objective, natural, or human and social. Furthermore, De Beauvoir believes that there stands an important distinction between being constrained by objects and being constrained by

Disloyal acts are considered to be immoral because they strike us as being contrary to preserving order in society. The desire to preserve peace and order in society, for self-interest, motivates people to obey authority. We are, thus, to regard disobedience towards authority as something to be avoided. Hume writes, Besides; we must consider, that, as obedience is our duty in the common course of things, it ought chiefly to be inculcated; nor can any thing be more preposterous than an anxious care and solicitude in stating all the cases, in which resistance may be allowed. (1) For Hume, it is of major importance and consequence that obedience is taught and demonstrated for its benefits.

Emotions were regarded as harmful because they keep us from living according to reason. Epictetus preaches that we should try and get a dispassionate understan... ... middle of paper ... ...is , it will be to our own advantage. But speaking specifically about whether I am in agreement with his views about human nature and the good life, well I don’t. I don’t believe that one must give up all worldly goals and possessions such as money, wealth, power, pleasure, health etc. I believe that (no matter what anybody tells you) these things are necessary to have in one’s life and I feel that all of us to some degree or the other strive for these things.

A person driven by their own personal desire does not exist as a free person. Freedom is when that person follows a line of thinking that strives to continue their own existence. In order for a person to safeguard themselves from danger, a collective effort can be made to protect the group’s rights as a whole. Therefore, it is reasonable line of thinking to instill a single entity or group of entities to place and enforce laws to ensure th... ... middle of paper ... ... necessary to ensure that they obtain it. In this state, people are controlled by their passions and should be considered slaves.

You will say. "It is all right for us, who are educated, we need no one to support us in this morality; but what about the people. the mass?" When you regard others as not being cultured, then you yourself are not; for out of this so-called consideration for others exploitation is born. What you are really concerned with when you ask about another is your own fear of conflict and disturbance.