Minority Opinion In John Stuart Mill's On Liberty

After a thorough analysis of a portion of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, one can explore Mill’s argument that people should not limit the dissenting opinion. He uses his ideas about liberty, authority, and morality in the text to argue that opinions should not be limited. Mill would argue that because people are fallible, people should attentively listen to what their peers have to say. Mill believes people should not be allowed to limit someone’s opinion because of three arguments. The minority opinion could be true, the majority opinion could be true and the minority false, or the majority and minority opinion could be partially true and partially false. It is wrong for the majority to suppress the opinion of a single person because of the overall harming effect.
Mill claims that first, the dissenting opinion may be true. He writes that, “To refuse a hearing to an opinion because they are sure that it is false is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty” (17). Just because it is right for one person does not mean it

ADD Mill’s third argument is that both the majority and minority opinions are partially true and partially false. If people are allowed to discuss their opinions openly and without fear of social and legal punishments, they may change their own opinions. When people are worried about social persecution or consequences with people of authority, such as the government, they are less likely to feel safe to share their ideas. Once people are allowed to openly discuss, they can optimize utility. Mill defines utility as the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. CONCLUDE.