An Analysis Essay Sample on Liberty by John Stuart Mill

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An Analysis Essay Sample on Liberty by John Stuart Mill

On liberty, by John Stuart Mill discusses the nature and relationship between the liberties we value as individuals and the authority that governs people as a society.  The people’s freedom of thought and the discussion of those thoughts are given as the first step in determining how much authority is needed to govern society. The focus on open thought and discussion is highlighted to understand multiple views of individuals and determine which of those views are correct and incorrect.  This gives an opportunity for individual growth and the ability to determine what is correct and what is not.  The next focus is the personal action of the individuals in a society which helps determine the level of authority a society needs due to acts of malevolence against others in that society.  Balancing individuality and authority is necessary in order to keep governing bodies from overreaching and encroaching on the well-being of the individual.  Authoritative overreach is the issue of focus when the open discussion is controlled and repressed ultimately impeding the liberties of the individual.  The key to facilitating a society’s ability to grow or stagnate is found when free thought, autonomy, and authority over an individual are balanced in society.

          Every individual has the right to their own opinion and has the ability to express their opinion in the open exchange of ideas.  It is when the existence of an authoritative body imposes its rules on a society or an individual that a balance needs to be recognized and implemented.  This balance will help maintain the happiness of the individual and help grow society in its entirety.  ” No argument, we may suppose, can now be needed, against permitting a legislature or an executive, not identified in interest with the people, to prescribe opinions to them, and determine what doctrines or what arguments they shall be allowed to hear” (Mill 86).  Mill recognized that in order for a society to grow, the voice of each individual needed to be heard and not suppressed.  By suppressing discussion, the ability to learn from other individuals and take in new information is lost.  "But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it” (Mill 86).

While opinions are free to be expressed, the action that follows them is where social authority becomes necessary.  The expression of opinion and acting on those opinions Mill recognized as two separate ideas. Individuals acting on malevolent intentions that impede or molest the rights of others is a clear line where authority needs to intercede (Mill 121).  Public intoxication and social disorder were a concern to many as issues arose disrupting social order and what became known as social rights.  Mill went on to say "The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people” (J. Mill 121).  Society was taxed on the alcohol that was purchased and consumed and in turn stifled the development of that society by creating dangerous situations in that society (Mill and Schneewind 92).  An individual cannot function in a free society when their path is covered in danger.  The decisions of others put people who did not make those same decisions in a position where their rights would be infringed upon.  This created a call to authority to reel in some of the individual freedoms at the expense of public safety.

Mill recognized the struggle between a growing society and the overseeing authority doing its best to keep it in check.  The question Mill asked was where to draw the line and how much freedom should an individual actually have. ” Where does the authority of society begin? How much of human life should be assigned to individuality, and how much to society” (J. Mill 139)?  The limits to the individual over authority seemed clear when individual choices interfered with the freedoms and liberty of others.  The society also recognized their liberties were being infringed upon when a governing authority would overreach its authority into the personal lives of the people in society.  Public health in the face of infectious disease required the quarantine of society to ensure a continued breakout would not occur.  Through threat and force, the government would impose its authority on the people to the point where life was too uncomfortable.  The health authority would force vaccinations, quarantine, and place people under surveillance in order to prevent the public from the continued spread (Bayer 5). 

          John Stuart Mill recognized the balance needed between authority and individuals in a society and how important personal liberty is.  Mill pointed out the need for open discussion and how correct and incorrect opinions learn from each other.  He also highlighted how personal choice has the ability to interfere with the liberty of others. While it is necessary for a governing body to exercise its authority on society, that governing body has to potential to go too far.  When the safety of an individual or a group of individuals is threatened, the government will potentially overreach its authority in the name of public health and safety.  Mill showed the need for balance between individuals and a governing body in order to help society grow and move forward.

 

 Works Cited

Bayer, Ronald. The continuing tensions between individual rights and public health. 2007.

Mill, John Stuart and J.B. Schneewind. The Basic Writings: On Liberty/The Subjection of Women/Utilitarianism. New York City: Random House Publishing Group, 2002. PDF.

Mill, JS. On Liberty, Rethinking Western Tradition. Binghamton, Vail-Ballou Press, 2003.