Mill individuality essay
'Mill's account of personal liberty ensures the development of the individual and society' Assess the validity in this claim.
Within Mill's 'On Liberty' it is clear that he has a high regard for the issues surrounding freedom and it's limits. Mill is an advocate of negative freedom, as a liberal he believes that there should be no restraints on an individual's freedom unless it is hindering the freedom or health of another person. One of the main reasons as to why Mill values liberty is because it contributes to personal development. Thus Mill argues that in order for individuals to develop they should be able to perform 'experiments' in living', which allow individuals to go through a system of trial and error until they find their own appropriate way of life. Moreover, experiments in living are beneficial to society as they provide a different way of living different from that of custom and help tackle the tyranny of public opinion. Thus it can therefore be argued that Mill's account on personal liberty does in fact ensure the development of society and the individual.
The first way in which Mill's account of freedom ensures the development of the individual and society, is that it promotes the truth. The link between personal freedom and truth is one of vital importance to Mill. Personal liberty allows people to come to opinions and ideas that that they can then go and share and spread with other individuals. Thus creating a pluralist society whereby ideas are tolerated, by virtue of them being expressed. In order to create such a society 'geniuses' are needed to introduce new ways of thinking into society and to challenge the old ways of life. For such people to exist we need freedom in society to practice our individuality. Mill states that even if an opinion or individual lifestyle is false or offensive it should be allowed to be expressed, as it will have strengthen the true opinion or right way of life and allow those holding that opinion to have
Within Mill's 'On Liberty' it is clear that he has a high regard for the issues surrounding freedom and it's limits. Mill is an advocate of negative freedom, as a liberal he believes that there should be no restraints on an individual's freedom unless it is hindering the freedom or health of another person. One of the main reasons as to why Mill values liberty is because it contributes to personal development. Thus Mill argues that in order for individuals to develop they should be able to perform 'experiments' in living', which allow individuals to go through a system of trial and error until they find their own appropriate way of life. Moreover, experiments in living are beneficial to society as they provide a different way of living different from that of custom and help tackle the tyranny of public opinion. Thus it can therefore be argued that Mill's account on personal liberty does in fact ensure the development of society and the individual.
The first way in which Mill's account of freedom ensures the development of the individual and society, is that it promotes the truth. The link between personal freedom and truth is one of vital importance to Mill. Personal liberty allows people to come to opinions and ideas that that they can then go and share and spread with other individuals. Thus creating a pluralist society whereby ideas are tolerated, by virtue of them being expressed. In order to create such a society 'geniuses' are needed to introduce new ways of thinking into society and to challenge the old ways of life. For such people to exist we need freedom in society to practice our individuality. Mill states that even if an opinion or individual lifestyle is false or offensive it should be allowed to be expressed, as it will have strengthen the true opinion or right way of life and allow those holding that opinion to have