POL113H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: On Liberty
J.S. MILL ON LIBERTY CHAPTER 1
- Liberty meant protection against the tyranny of the political rulers, rulers were seen in an
antagonistic position to the people whom they ruled, consisted of a governing One or
governing tribe/caste who derived their authority from inheritance or conquest who didn’t
care about the needs of who they ruled over, their power was seen as necessary but also
as dangerous since they could use this power as a weapon against their subjects, the aim
was to set limits to the power, this limitation was what they meant by liberty
- It was attempted in 2 ways: 1. Obtaining a recognition of political rights which was to be
regarded as a breach of duty in the ruler to infringe and which if he did violate, specific
resistance and rebellion was held 2. Establishment of constitutional checks by which the
consent of the community was supposed to represent its interests
- John didn’t place liberty and freedom above all other things for a person, he was a
supporter of women’s rights and their right to vote, along with voting rights for the
working class
- Mills says we have a problem in those countries that have become democratic since we
tend to overlook that there might be an oppressive element to that democratic govt, the
govt can suppress the minorities
- He believes that social pressure will build a viewpoint where the govt standpoints are
conformed, when he talks about the role of liberty, he’s referring to aspiring democracies,
the govt has 4 fundamental liberties
1. Liberty/Freedom of Conscious- you should be free to believe what you want to
believe, if the govt doesn’t follow this, it’s not legitimate
2. Liberty/Freedom of speech- this is tied with the liberty of conscious cuz if you
can’t say what you believe in, you don’t know what you believe, it’s the
individual’s right to hold opinions
3. Liberty/freedom to fail/freedom of life-span- you have the right to fail since you
learn from mistakes, but you must not inflict harm upon others with the use of
your liberty, in which case the govt may interfere, it’s also the liberty to take care
of yourself and fix your own mistakes
4. Freedom of Association- individuals’ rights to join or leave groups voluntarily,
there must be protection cuz once ppl are individualized they are easy to dominate
and manipulate
- The liberties are linked and only applies to rationals, adults and individuals
- Reasonable certainty relies on ppl being able to state the reasons for their believe, what
values they believe in and what hierarchy the values are place in, he says we need to
understand the value of listening to each other and encourage others to speak, it’s based
on the idea that you know what good ideas can be and to determine if there can be a
bridge to establish freedom of association with limitations to exclude criminal activities
- Failure to protect these rights means govt isn’t rested in consent so it’s not free society
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Document Summary
Obtaining a recognition of political rights which was to be regarded as a breach of duty in the ruler to infringe and which if he did violate, specific resistance and rebellion was held 2. Establishment of constitutional checks by which the consent of the community was supposed to represent its interests. John didn"t place liberty and freedom above all other things for a person, he was a supporter of women"s rights and their right to vote, along with voting rights for the working class. Mills says we have a problem in those countries that have become democratic since we tend to overlook that there might be an oppressive element to that democratic govt, the govt can suppress the minorities. The liberties are linked and only applies to rationals, adults and individuals. Failure to protect these rights means govt isn"t rested in consent so it"s not free society.
