John Stuart Mill Research Paper

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, economist, and one of the most influential thinkers of his time. John Stuart was born in a quaint neighborhood in London. His father James, a philosopher and economist, educated John Stuart through his teens. John Stuart was not allowed to associate with the children in his neighborhood. His father wanted him to devote his time to his studies. At the age of eight John Stuart was already reading Greek philosophy, and was put in charge of educating his siblings. At 17 John Stuart decided to follow his father’s footsteps, and take up a job at the East India Company. He continued to study, but when he turned 20 he fell into a deep depression. After eight months John Stuart discovered Poetry and his sense

Andrews. He was also a member of the parliament for the city of Westminster. He called for various reforms while he held this position. Finally, at the age of 67 he passed away. Although he was gone his ideas, philosophies remained. John Stuart’s unique upbringing and experience allowed him to make some interesting observations about liberty. He reveals his thoughts in one of his most famous works, On liberty. John Stuart had a progressive opinion about liberty. He was ahead of his time. He was in favor of personal and social liberty in almost all instances. The only exception being an instance in which liberty comprised the safety of another individual. Although his views seem extremely straightforward there are many ways his ideas can be interpreted. This will come apparent as we delve into the complexities of On Liberty. John Stuart divides liberty into 3 main spheres: individual thought, pursuits, and liberty to unite with others. He uses these spheres to define liberty in a way no one else could. Since John Stuarts death in 1783 much has changed. There are numerous new technologies, and discoveries that complicate his

The internet is a complex idea. Anyone can put whatever they want online for the consumption of millions of people. John Stuart would’ve been excited by this idea. He was an advocate for free speech, and sharing ideas on this scale was incomprehensible in the 19th century. Unfortunately, this free speech is being threatened by censorship. John Stuart wrote, “from the highest class of society down to the lowest, everyone lives as under the eye of a hostile and dreaded censorship.” (68). John Stuart valued exposure. He appreciated new perspectives, and the debate that was held between them. He thought it was unfair that some of these perspectives would be silenced. It is important to exercise our right to stand up for what we believe in and this is not always possible with censorship. John Stuart mill would’ve seen internet censorship as an enormous obstacle for