John Stuart Mill

Mill was a very well educated young man. His parents forced him to stick to his studies, and made him tutor his younger siblings to be sure he was understanding everything he was learning. I was in awe by how intelligent Mill was. I was also very intrigued by the radical he was. It is strange to see someone come from a good background with a privileged upbringing turn out to be so radical. He "advocated sexual equality, the right to divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation"(513). These topics that he was advocating were very different than what people are used to. I think it is hard to fully comprehend how radical these ideas are because we have not lived in a time without having these privileges. Perhaps sometimes we take for granted these rights that we currently have today without giving enough recognition to people like Mill who advocated these ideas making it possible to live the lives we currently lead. It is hard not to respect a man that went against the grain of society to try to make changes for the better. I really enjoyed Mill because he was so straight forward and to the point. I am a very no nonsense kind of person, so this style of writing appeals to me.

In Mill's work "On Liberty", he discusses opinions and how important they can be. Mill makes some very interesting arguments in this section. He states, "If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."(515). In this section, Mill is trying to make the reader realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You do not need to conform to what the majority thinks, and the majority should not put pressure on you to conform. Mill uses the word power here, which is perhaps referring to how powerful majority can be and how cruel individuals can be if you do not share their same beliefs. It could also be referring to the government and the upper class people in society. Because these people have power, they get to make the decisions, but that does not give them the right to silence the opinions of the others.

Mills goes on to discuss why different opinions are so important. He writes, "But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent form the opinion, still more that those who hold it."(515). Mill believes that oppressing or even withholding different opinions does a disservice to society in the present and the future generations to come. I think if opinions that go against the grain are oppressed then society will never evolve. I know that many people are resistant to change because they like the security that comes with the lives they currently have. However, if no one ever gave an opinion that was different from the norm there would be no progression; I think society would be at a standstill.

He goes even further to state, "If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error."(515). Here Mill is trying to provide further evidence of how important it is to share different opinions and keep an open mind when listening to these opinions. Perhaps listening to something new will bring truth...you could see an issue from a different perspective and find a new truth. If that new opinion, however, does not bring new truth, it will be able to give people more confidence in their current beliefs because they know that they have examined it deeply and solidified their truth. This was very interesting to me because I really enjoy listening to other peoples opinions and exploring them deeply to be sure that I am confident with my beliefs. One thing I really related this to was religion. I do not understand how people can be so sure of their own faith when they know nothing about all the other faiths that exist. I think sometimes understanding all the options that are available makes your beliefs stronger. I think it is important to understand completely what you believe in and to do that, you must consider all aspects of those beliefs...even differing ones.

Another quote that really stood out to me was, "Wrong opinions and practices gradually lead to fact and argument: but facts and arguments, to produce any effect on the mind, must be brought before it."(516). Here Mill is just again emphasizing how important it is to keep an open mind. Although change is hard, it is important to listen to other ideas because they could bring you to a new truth. If, however, you never give these ideas a chance you will not be able to evolve and find truth because you will be stuck in your ways.

At the end of Chapter 2 of "On Liberty", Mill uses his straight forward style to summarize his main points to be sure the reader understood just what he was trying to say. He says first that people must not be afraid to stand up for what they believe in and share their opinions. Second he says that it is important to listen to the opinions of others because even if they do not contain whole truths, they may contain partial truths which can lead to new ideas. Third, he tries to get the reader to understand that these alternate opinions are not just good for helping the individual grow, but they are also a necessity for helping a society grow. As I discussed earlier, I think this is so true. Too many times people just join the majority because it is hard to stand up and separate yourself from the crowd. It is so important, though, to have people who are willing to do this...and also to have people who will listen... or society will never evolve.