Harm: Principles and Limitations
constitutes harm
About what constitutes harm, someone may say that hurting someone’s feelings or insulting someone’s sensibility. Harm can be also defined as hurting someone by being a bad example. Clearly there are limitations to this principle. Mill believed that an individual could harm him/herself as long as he/she does not cause harm to anyone else. The controversy comes in here because a person can harm himself or herself, which can affect other people connected to the individual. If a person does something, which harms only him/her, someone might see that and does the same thing and end up causing harm to him or her. So the theory is limited and flawed. The example you pointed that Jack pokes himself in the eye on purpose and damages his vision. Jill sees Jack do that, so she pokes herself in the eye and damages her own vision. I will say yes that jack’s behavior has affect Jill harm herself. According to his Self-regarding actions, he pointed, “No person is an entirely isolated being.” Hence, it is impossible that Jack does that harms himself will not also harm Jill. Even Mill accepts that harming oneself can cause harm to others and even, in a small way, regarding society as a whole group. What is more, although Jill wouldn’t copy jack that pokes himself in eyes and damages his vision, Jill is still harmed by Jack mentally. Back to the example you give to me, if Jill wouldn’t see that Jack poke in himself in eyes, she may never think about this behavior. Hence, no matter she copy jack’s behavior or not, she is still harmed by Jack mentally.
About what constitutes harm, someone may say that hurting someone’s feelings or insulting someone’s sensibility. Harm can be also defined as hurting someone by being a bad example. Clearly there are limitations to this principle. Mill believed that an individual could harm him/herself as long as he/she does not cause harm to anyone else. The controversy comes in here because a person can harm himself or herself, which can affect other people connected to the individual. If a person does something, which harms only him/her, someone might see that and does the same thing and end up causing harm to him or her. So the theory is limited and flawed. The example you pointed that Jack pokes himself in the eye on purpose and damages his vision. Jill sees Jack do that, so she pokes herself in the eye and damages her own vision. I will say yes that jack’s behavior has affect Jill harm herself. According to his Self-regarding actions, he pointed, “No person is an entirely isolated being.” Hence, it is impossible that Jack does that harms himself will not also harm Jill. Even Mill accepts that harming oneself can cause harm to others and even, in a small way, regarding society as a whole group. What is more, although Jill wouldn’t copy jack that pokes himself in eyes and damages his vision, Jill is still harmed by Jack mentally. Back to the example you give to me, if Jill wouldn’t see that Jack poke in himself in eyes, she may never think about this behavior. Hence, no matter she copy jack’s behavior or not, she is still harmed by Jack mentally.