Mill

Question 1

liberal political philosophy

Answer 1

we need to set up political structures suited to managing the needs of free, independent agents who have equal rights

Question 2

liberal definition

Answer 2

centre left leaning individuals

Question 3

libertarianism

Answer 3

prioritisation of individual freedom, deep scepticism and hostility towards state coercion, close to anarchism, typically right wing and pro-capitalist

Question 4

neoliberalism

Answer 4

an approach to political economy that prioritises the market as a means of organising society and enabling freedom

Question 5

main idea in on liberty

Answer 5

protection against tyranny of opinion and feeling, against society imposing ideas which limit individuality

Question 6

humboldt on the end of man

Answer 6

the highest and most harmonious development of his powers, this requires the individuality of power and development

Question 7

mill on theoretical reason

Answer 7

wary of a priori reasoning, prefers induction which means all genuine knowledge is fallible and corrigible

Question 8

mill on happiness

Answer 8

induction gives us plenty of evidence that humans desire happiness, general happiness is a good to the aggregate of all persons

Question 9

mill against benthams utilitarianism

Answer 9

quality should be considered as well as quantity, better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied

Question 10

fallibility

Answer 10

we learn through coming up with new ideas and making mistakes

Question 11

utility definition

Answer 11

we need to pursue collective happiness, foster higher qualities ox experience/thought

Question 12

human nature analogy

Answer 12

not a machine but a tree which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides

Question 13

progression based on utilitarianism

Answer 13

mill regards utility as the ultimate appeal on all ethical questions but it must be utility grounded in the interests of man as a progressive being

Question 14

the harm principle

Answer 14

the only purpose for which power can be exercised over a member of society against his will is to prevent harm

Question 15

how do we know what rights to follow?

Answer 15

locke etc suggest natural rights but mill rejects these, we can learn through experience what the best means of ensuring wellbeing are

Question 16

mill on government

Answer 16

we need government as freedom must be limited or will harm eachother but its power must be restricted - cautiously favours socialism

Question 17

mills argument for free speech

Answer 17

if all mankind agreed apart from one we are no more justified in silencing that one than the one would be in silencing mankind

Question 18

mill on how free speech improves us

Answer 18

any doctrine should be considered, we have the capacity to improve, silencing opinions robs the human race of a chance to reaffirm the truth

Question 19

avoidance of mistake argument for free speech

Answer 19

we may be wrong, our ideas need to be tested, this requires free speech

Question 20

assumption of infallibility argument

Answer 20

if we state that something is definitely false we assume our own infallibility, we can only become certain through debate

Question 21

necessity of error argument

Answer 21

even if an opinion was false it would be wrong to stifle it, stops opinion becoming dead dogma

Question 22

freedom of actions compared to freedom of opinions

Answer 22

opinions lose their immunity when the circumstances in which they are expressed in a wrong/mischevious scenario

Question 23

will truth triumph?

Answer 23

not straight away, when an opinion is true it may be extinguished once or twice but will eventually be trusted and believed

Question 24

mill against hate speech

Answer 24

humans should use their higher faculties to distinguish the better from the worse etc they should not be used for degrading foolish opinions