Mill On Freedom Of Thought And Discussion

2.3.4 Freedom of Thought and Discussion According to history, John Milton, a great English poet and a “predecessor” of J.S. Mill was one of the earliest advocates of the right of free speech and free press. In a famous speech before the Parliament, Milton defended this right when he likened government’s censorship to an oligarchy and free speech to a flowery crop of knowledge. In the last analysis, he challenged Lords and Commons in these words: “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.” A few centuries down the lane, Mill, an English philosopher produced a magnificent work in which he stridently emphasized the value of freedom, and for that matter the relevance of allowing the free flow of information and opinion in a free society. In the second chapter of his essay, On Liberty, Mill passionately defends his doctrine of freedom of expression in the light of three important and concrete points. These are namely human fallibility, tolerance and the search for truth. Most interestingly, Mill sets the tone of his defence of free thought and discussion in line with the first chapter. Liberty of the press from the onset was envisioned as a right that would secure against corrupt and tyrannical rulers. But today, and

For Mill, all thoughts and all expressions are self regarding. But in special circumstances, an expression cannot be classified as self-regarding if it is at least connected to an act which is seriously harmful to others. In this case however, there cannot be any moral claim to liberty. Nevertheless, Mill insists with impassioned defence that there ought to exist the utmost liberty of professing and discussing as a matter of ethical