You Decide

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Philosopher of the week Transcript

Mill speaks: My name is John Stuart Mill. How exciting to be a part of a 21st century Ethics course. Once again, I see that my fears about democracy perhaps have come true. When you have done some research about me, and read the lecturette, you will find that I lived during the late 19th century, in London, and that my wife Harriet Taylor and myself feared that we lived in a society where bold and adventurous individuals were becoming all too rare. My critics thought that the prospect of a mass democracy in which working-class opinion would be oppressive and perhaps violent frightened me. This was an untrue belief. The truth is that middle-class conformism frightened me much more.

My ethics state that individual liberty and the rights of the individual are by far the most important of all! I also believed in women’s rights and liberty back when no man believed this. How can we love the individual, if we deny this in women? The answer is, “We cannot!” Women and men should be treated equally in all things!

I am a Utilitarian. That which is useful is that which is right. I have lain down "one very simple principle" to govern the use of coercion (meaning legal penalties) in society --- we may only coerce others in self-defense - either to defend ourselves, or to defend others from harm. All of this “saving people from themselves” is rubbish! It is not the role of the government to make people behave “better.” It is the role of the individual to do this. Only by adopting a principle of self-restraint can we seek out the truth, experience the truth as "our own", and fully develop our individual selves. Your Patriot Act? You will discuss this during our class. How can this be good? Do you feel safer? Are you willing to give up all of your rights if that will make you 100% safe?

One of your great Americans said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Americans, do you still believe this? I do wonder. Read my Essay “On Liberty.” You may learn something. Good day!