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On Liberty John Stuart Mill Gertrude Himmelfarb 9780140432077 Books

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On Liberty John Stuart Mill Gertrude Himmelfarb 9780140432077 Books

Reading Mill at this particular moment in our history is to be reminded not only of the source of our most cherished ideals of liberty and political liberalism but also of the powerful logical and moral reasons supporting our idea of individual freedom and responsibility. Both the writing and the supporting arguments are models of clarity, intellectual modesty and common sense. What a sad contrast to the empty headed slaganeering of today's political and moral discourse.


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On Liberty John Stuart Mill Gertrude Himmelfarb 9780140432077 Books Reviews

I ihave read Mill's On Liberty three times now. The Bromwich and Kateb version is the most helpful, as we not only get to read Mill's essay, but 6 supplementary essays - two "introductions" and four sometimes critical "reinterpretations" by respected theorists.

Milll's basic point is simple people should be left free to think and do as they please unless what they are doing causes actual harm to others. Mill's essay is spent both giving reasons for this principle, and exlporing what the principle means in practice.

He offers a plurality of reasons for his libertarian ideas, some utilitarian in nature and some based on (what some might call) natural law. Not only does freedom of action and thought encourage innnovation, keep public discussion vigorous, and lead to a more effective social network than government incursion, but people just-plain prefer directing their own lives to being directed from outside.

Mill gets into sticky territory, however, when he talks about the libertarian principle in concrete terms, as his distinction between what is private and what is public is often less clear than he might want. Should persons be free to tell others to do harm to themselves? Yes. Should parents be free not to educate their children? No. Should "vice-merchants" like bars, gambling parlors, and pornographers be free to conduct business without heavy government regulation? No. Should people be free to marry a plurality of spouses? If mormon, yes. If British, no.

My biggest criticism - and a criticism offered in Richard Posner and Jeane Bethke Elshtain's essays - is that Mill is all over the map when his principle is "put to the real world" because the distinction between public and private is just-plain fuzzy. Another interesting criticism, brought up in Elshtain's essay, is that Mill demonstrates a very unjustified bias in favor of experiment over tradition (where the former seems always presumed inferior to the latter).

In short, I like Mill's essay but see it as an edifice built on not-quite-solid sand. Mill relies on seperate categories, public and private, that are just not clear and distinct enough to be distinct. (While Dewey may have gone too far in the "all acts are social" direction, I think Dewey hit closer to the truth.) This is why the six supplementary essays in this edition are a nice touch.
Mill was an atheist and decidedly anti-Christian, and I state this for those who need to take this into account before reading an essay on world view. Despite this fact, John Stuart Mill would be most displeased with how Christians and religious conservatives are being vilified these days. He is definitely NOT in favor of shutting down dissenting opinions or open discussions, and the book has some potent quotes that could be applied to today's "politically correct" shenanigans. He makes a very strong case against the type of soft tyranny we are seeing today with regard to prevailing opinions on controversial topics. He clearly states that protection from government tyranny is not enough; there is also the tyranny of popular opinion toward unpopular opinion, and that people should be protected from this as well. Timely and relevant. Warning the book is short, but it is not an "easy read." Well worth it nonetheless.
Amazing insight into the human condition with regard to thought processes, how one's ego can convince the mind that it is the only acceptable opinion. Appearing to have been in print for over a hundred and fifty years the author had an incredible clarity in explaining how the body politic encouraged opposing views in that day and age. The purpose of which was to sound out the reasoning of each opinion. Today this man would be heckled off the stage or assaulted for disagreeing with the far left, if that were to be the case. A mind opener for sure
A solid work that everyone should read, regardless of political alignment. How do we balance societal well being with personal liberty? In an ideal democracy, the will of the government becomes the will of the majority, so how do we protect the minority? Why are free speech and diversity (even eccentricity) so desirable in the first place? Mill has some ideas.

Pros One of the most practical pieces from the utilitarian thinkers of the era. Almost prescient on a number of matters (his genealogy of christian morality, proto-feminist thinking, religious diversity as including atheism).

Cons I don't think that Mill ever fully resolves the concept of social tyranny in this work, which he rightly gives serious thought. Additionally, there is some (unsurprising) apologia for imperialism, and his assumption that Parliament is, or will become shortly, the will of the people, seems a bit overly optimistic.

Regardless of these quibbles, I think this is an important read for anyone interested in political philosophy.
John Stuart Mill is one of the giants of political/practical philosophy.
This book is very densely written; you get a full page worth of reading on each page. The book was written in 1859. So the language is a bit more formal and strange compared to contemporary writings. But it's very readable. He explains the thought process behind his opinions. They're very logical. If be reading And think "Gee, never thought of it that way" Or "so that's why things are the way they are". And, for a book written 160 years ago, it is surprising my relevant.The

Highly recommended!!
Reading Mill at this particular moment in our history is to be reminded not only of the source of our most cherished ideals of liberty and political liberalism but also of the powerful logical and moral reasons supporting our idea of individual freedom and responsibility. Both the writing and the supporting arguments are models of clarity, intellectual modesty and common sense. What a sad contrast to the empty headed slaganeering of today's political and moral discourse.