On Liberty

Political Philosophy
What is his philosophy?
What is his bias?
What is his prejudice?
What is his predisposition?
In so far as the realm of politics is concerned
Individual liberty is always superior compare
to governmental actions or authority.
In short: If there is a conflict between
individual liberty on one hand and governmental
action regardless how noble it is and if it
violates individual rights, then the individual
rights or individual liberties must be given
premium that is however the General Will.
His only exception is simple: the only time that
governmental action or authority should be
given premium rather than individual rights if
and when another member of society is being
harmed by the exercised of liberty of another.
Social or civil liberty is a protection from
tyranny either socially or politically.
In any case the liberty is given to you either by
law or by concession. In modern times social
liberty is given by virtue of constitutional checks
and balances this is all we know as the bill of
rights, although there are certain liberties as of
today that is not present before that are
considered as inherent.
But historically they are earned through
concession or benevolence of the ruler, or
through constitutional checks and balances.
Today there are inherent liberty like the right to
life which there is no need for concessions or
constitutional checks and balances. In the times
of Mill human life is dependent on so many
things.
Mill define social or civil liberty as a profession
from the tyranny of the political dissident,

historically it can be gain either a concession

coming from the benevolence ruler.
Example: Birthday daw ni sir bibigyan ka niya
ng liberty to elect people or liberty to not die
today, also there is constitutional checks and
balances which is a document that clearly
defines what the ruler or government could and
could not do.
Why all of a sudden Mill started to write
about liberty?
According to Mill because of new certain
circumstances that occur in this time, there is a
need to determine the extent of governmental
powers in so far as it affects individual liberties,
and what is that, that is the emerging
Democracy.
Starting in the United States that has democratic
function, that the democratic states that were
given to the US can be clearly transported to
European countries.
And because of that there is a need to examine
the balance between liberty and governmental
actions. Generally liberty should be given
premium.
Why?
Certain Democracies, in order to be considered
as real democracy must always give premium or
respect kinds of liberty like the liberty of
conscience etc.
Domain of the conscience or thought, liberty of
taste and pursuits, liberty of union.
Three main points of democracy: you are not
democratic if you dont have this.
1). Liberty of conscience or thought
2). Liberty of taste and pursuits
3). Liberty of union

With that being said the liberty context you from

either legal or governmental tyranny which is
the chuchu of law, government coercion or
public opinion.
You have two distinguish two spheres that Mill
chuchuchu
1.) Opinions is in the realm of the mind
that is thought, whatever you are
thinking that is within the jurisdiction of
yourself and government cant interfere
on your thoughts.
When can only government interfere?
It can only interfere when it harms other people.
How did your thoughts, which something
abstract does not materialize in external world,
affect other people?
Thats why its absoluteness is not arguable.
2.)

Actions are treated differently

because of its manifestation outside the
abstract world. In that case the
government has the right to regulate you
if and when its harmful to others.

Example: Naniniwala ako na pag pumatay ako

ng tatlong birhen mapupunta ako sa langit, that
is something that exercising a thought.
The government no matter how absurd, no
matter how tasteless, no matter how wrong your
opinion, cant never say you are wrong. Because
opinion as long as it remains as an opinion or a
thought remains on the abstract world and could
never harm other people.
But if you act upon your opinion that is subject
by the governmental violation, meaning if you
do things that could harm and affects other
people like in the example.
The requirement of what harms people must be
direct, it must not be indirect.
The General Uneasiness because of an opinion
or an action of one person that is something that
the society must tolerate because that is part of

living in a society. You could not expect

conformity in society that is the burden of
civilized organized society.
So what is required is a direct harm not merely
incidental, because come to think of it every
action would affect other people in some indirect
way.
So thats why there is a distinction between the
area of opinion or thoughts and the area of
actions.
Opinion is absolute because the government
could not step in because it can never affect
other people.
But.
Example: Maitim daw si toot.
And because of that it harms other people. So
what then is the remedy?
That example indirectly affects you. There is an
exception that even if it indirectly affects you
the government could still step in if the issue
that is involved is the issue of decency.
If it is indecency it is an upfront to everyone and
in the public. So if it is the issue of indecency it
becomes direct harm to individual.
Decent is depended upon society and it dictates
that it must cater to purent interest
Purent interest is when an expression does not
have purpose other than like the example to have
lust then it is indecent.
With that being said that is the only instance
wherein and even if it is a general rule if it is
indecent that is a direct attack on each and
everyone.
Actions have to determine because it could
affect people, if it is no, then it becomes on the
realm of the mind of an individual, government
could not step in. The government could not
force you to do something even if it is good for
you.

However if someones action could harm or

affect other people or it fails to do a particular
obligation to the state, that is the time you affect
other people.
When someone has an obligation that he/she did
not fulfill that it harms other directly, and then
the government has the prerogative to stop
him/her.
Mill recognizes that there is a need for
government intervention if and when if it is
called upon.
Mill also warns us about the concentration of
powers, therefore he would want us to adhere to
the principles although he did not strongly agree
he would does not want the centralization of
power because a powerful government is
problematic to individual.
Best thing to do is to decentralize power but we
need to centralize the dissemination of
information, because information is a key to
democracy.
What is
dissents?

the

importance

of

respecting

Mill gives us four reasons:

1.) We are not sure if the prevailing idea is
true
And the only way to know if it is true, we need
to allow and hear the dissent
2.) If left undebated, the truth becomes dead
dogma
Example: The superstitious belief on the fish not
cutting its tail. Your mother does not cut its tail
because her mother also did the same thing.
Because of that example the truthfulness or the
rational is being taken away from the dogma.
And the way to solve the dead dogma is to know
the basis for that particular dogma, if they know
the basis they can never be mislead, but the
problem is that it is not sufficient that you know
the basis; you have to be able to defend it.

3.) Issue of the gray area

Provided the prevailing idea is not true and
the dissent is not also true, the truth is
between somewhere in the gray area. And
for us to know where is the gray area in the
extreme spectrum.
4.) Although it may be true, the prevailing
understanding and that the dissent is
false it helps the general idea to be
developed, because the dissent in one
way or another strengthens the general
idea. Because there is a constant debate
or question whether it is true.
Importance of individuality
The need to not to conform, our society is
all good because we respect individuality
etc.
However if we make sure that the people
would always comply with what the society
wants from you, individuality is loss and the
society itself would suffer. Because
individuality is something beneficial not just
to the state but also to the society.
Why is it important to the self to not
conform to the society?
It is important because individuality builds
character and character makes you who you
are. If character is loss because of nonindividuality, what made you different from
a machine?
Moreover, it is important for the society to
respect a particular individual, because
society has something to learn or to know
about non- conformist
Geniuses are not conformist and they were
allowed to speak because of their non
conformity. And the society was able to
learn from them because believe it or not
we learn something new from nonconformist.
And that is John Stuart Mill.