PHIL 2120 Lecture Notes - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, Panopticism
Document Summary
John stuart mill makes multiple claims in his book, on liberty, about the idea of individual freedom. Among these is one that has been vital for the progression of human society as it states that individuals should be free to experiment with and express their own unique ways of living life. The potential conflict with this belief becomes clear when the idea of utilitarianism is involved. The conclusion that this discussion on the two seemingly conflicting concepts will bring is that once their relationship is analyzed, they can, in fact, work in harmony together properly. Additionally, once the two concepts have been explicated and their definitions made clear, their applicability will then be compared in relation to a separate theory of ethics from another philosopher, michel foucault"s theory of panopticism. Liberty sets out to do is apply utilitarianism ideals to society as well as create standards to use when dealing with the balance between authority and liberty in a society.
