On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill is taken to be the manifesto of libertarianism, its founding document. It is also the basis of a variety of offsprings, from liberal democracy to anarchism.

Its arguments (in brief) go as follows.

  • “Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign”.
  • This stands in contrast to the tyranny of the majority.
  • Such a tyranny exists where the majority of society controls for example the norms of etiquette and morality. Such a society is an unelected power capable of horrific things.
  • Libertarianism stands opposed to this tyranny, advocating individual decision making over the self.
  • A central tenet of this philosophy is the harm principle. Do as you wish, though do no harm to others.
  • A variety of traditions incorporate the harm principle into their philosophy, though interpretations of what constitutes harm varies enormously.

In the original text there follows a description of the dangers of the tyranny of the majority, dangers that he describes as worse than the tyranny of government. Inherent in this is a concept similar to brainwashing. People who are subject to what society thinks is suitable are in grave danger of being fashioned by these opinions. Thus the minority found in faith, race, gender etc, are in grave danger from the tyranny of the majority. Because a majority opinion may not be the correct opinion.

There are some fundamental freedoms that Mill considers integral to the notion of individual freedom.

  • The freedom to think as one wishes, and to feel as one does. This includes the freedom to opinion, and includes the freedom to publish opinions known as the freedom of speech.
  • The freedom to pursue tastes and pursuits, even if they are deemed “immoral,” as long as they do not cause harm.
  • The “freedom to unite” or meet with others, often known as the freedom of assembly.

Without these the individual is not truly free. It is the role therefore of society and whatever form of government it takes to safeguard these freedoms. These safeguards he deems as necessary rights (a concept far removed from natural rights). They are necessary to safeguard the natural freedoms of the individual in society.

There is in Mills opinion only one legitimate reason for the exercise of power over individuals:

“That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

To conclude with there are two imporant provisos and questions. (i) What if society resists liberty? (ii) What principles should one appeal to when resolving issues of harm and when exercising power to prevent harm?

The brief answer:

(i) Libertarianism is not compulsory, however any society that wishes to be ‘free’ and which does not pay lipservice to the notion of ‘freedom’ will hold the principle of the autonomy of the self.

(ii) John Stuart Mill proposed Utilitarianism, and the principles of utility to be useful tools for governance. This however has its limits and interpretational problems, as previously discussed on this blog. (My own preference is for a form of Negative Act Utilitarianism).