John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty

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In John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, Mill discusses the differences between individual independence and social control. Individual independence for Mill is being able to make your own decisions to a certain extent on the way you want to live your life. Whereas, social control is when someone who is in charge (example; the government) needs to put rules into effect so no one gets hurt. “the practical question where to place the limit--how to make the fitting adjustment between individual independence and social control--is a subject on which nearly everything remains to be done” (Mill, 5). Mill believes in order for humans to be happy in their lifetime, they need certain boundaries in individual independence and social control. He also believes that we can only have so many boundaries in individual independence and social control, otherwise we can’t be happy and somebody could get hurt. This essay will prove what can and can’t be used in individual independence and social control in order to live a happy life.
A person might ask why it is so important to care about the boundaries a person should have in individual independence and social control. Mill believes that this is very important for someone to know and here’s why. If you want to be able to live a life that you want to control (which should be ideal by all) then you should care about the boundaries that are given. If there are certain things in life that are controlling the way you want to live wouldn’t you want to prevent that? Mill believes that all humans that fit into his categories should be allowed freedom. This is when you are given the right to do what you want in life. The category of people Mill is talking about when he is dealing with his boundaries is civilized p...

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...wed to obtain freedom because they are educated and know its meaning and can fight to achieve rights in life. He reasoned that we should be allowed to obtain as much individual independence and social control as we want as long as it is not going to harm anyone.

Works Cited

Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. Ed. Elizabeth Rapaport. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1978. Print.

CTI 100 Review Lecture: J.S. Mill's "On Liberty" Part 1 of 5." Lecture. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"CTI 100 Review Lecture: J.S. Mill's "On Liberty" Part 2 of 5." Lecture. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"CTI 100 Review Lecture: J.S. Mill's "On Liberty" Part 3 of 5." Lecture. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"CTI 100 Review Lecture: J.S. Mill's "On Liberty" Part 4 of 5." Lecture. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

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