JS Mill Flashcards
When did he live
1806-73
Whose ideas did he develop
Locke and Wolstonecraft
What can he be seen as a bridge between
Classical and modern liberalism, so his political ideas are said to represent transitional liberalism and developmental individualism
Explain the idea of negative freedom he laid out On LIberty (1859)
Argued that freedom involved the absence of restraint. This is connected to his harm principle
Explain his distinction between self regarding and other regarding actions
Made this distinction with a view to clarifying the principle of tolerance. Self regarding actions include religious worship or the expression of opinion, does not restrict the freedom of others and therefore should not be restricted. Other regarding actions are things like violent behaviour, they clearly harm the freedom of others and so should be restricted by a liberal state
Why did he see toleration of diverse ideas as important
Meant new ideas could openly emerge and bad ideas could be publicly ridiculed
How did he develop the ideas of previous classical liberalism
Many of his arguements represented something more sophisticated than early classical liberalism. For instance he saw liberty not just as a ‘natural right’ but as the engine of ongoing human development. He therefore viewed human nature not so much as a finished article but rather a work in progress
How did he expand on the core liberal idea of individuality
He did not just want to liberate individuals as they were. He wanted to see what individuals could become - a concept which he termed ‘individuality’ and which has since been termed ‘developmental individualism’
How did his distinction between individualism and individuality impact his views on democracy
He was particularly concerned that the liberal principle of govt by consent would be compromised if the interests of some liberal minded individuals were denied by the votes of the uneducated masses. Mill feared that a democratic state could lead to a ‘tyranny of the majority’
