COMS 2003 Chapter 2: John Stuart Mill_On the Liberty of Thought and Discussion

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Communication and Media Studies
• Course: COMS 2003
• Professor: Ira Wagman

Document Summary

John stuart mill"s on the liberty of thought and discussion chapter 2. Part 1: opening section: the role of the press: as a watchdog to keep a check on the state, the issues whether people shall be allowed to coerce or limit others" expression of opinions. Silencing the opinion of just one person is unacceptable and illegitimate: the government is much more dangerous when being dependent on unreliable public opinions. Public opinion is the popular sentiment of mankind but forming the majority opinion requires the silencing of a lot of voices: no matter the opinions are right or wrong, the suppression of them is hurtful. If the opinion is right, the public miss the chance to learn its truth. If the opinion is wrong, stronger truth will not emerge and the public loses the opportunity to remind why it is false.