John Stuart Mill Individual Liberty

John Stuart Mill is dubbed, “the most influential English language philosopher of the nineteenth century. He was a naturalist, a utilitarian, and a liberal, whose work explores the consequences of a thoroughgoing empiricist outlook” (Macleod). In this essay, I will be answering these questions: What role should individual liberties as clarified in Mill’s On Liberty play in the good life? In addition, do I agree with Mill that coercive intervention is only permissible in restraining human liberties if a justifiable prediction of such enjoyment resulting in harm can be shown? In order to answer these questions, I will be exploring Mill’s works, On Liberty and Utilitarianism. On Liberty is the philosophical work by J.S. Mill. “Mill attempts to

Mill states, “It is proper to state that I forego any advantage which could be derived to my argument from the idea of abstract right as a thing independent of utility. I regard utility as the ultimate appeal on all ethical questions; but it must be utility in the largest sense, grounded on the permanent interests of man as a progressive being” (Mill 20). In order to determine if something is ethical or not, it must follow his Utilitarianism foundation. In addition, individual liberties are related to this foundation because they were asked if these liberties were right and ethnical moral. Moreover, Mill’s says that he uses “Utility as the ultimate appeal [to] all ethical questions” (Mill 20), which is used to determine the individual liberty that we

He who chooses his plan for himself employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold his deliberate decision. And these qualities he requires and exercises exactly in proportion as the part of his conduct which he determines according to his own judgment and feelings is a large one. It is possible that he might be guided in some good path, and kept out of harm 's way, without any of these things. But what will be his comparative worth as a human being? (Mill