John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)_On Liberty

John Stuart Mill who advocated sexual equality, the right to divorce, and free speech became the era’s leading philosopher and political theorist and outspoken member of parliament. His father turned him into a very smart kid; who finish his education at fourteen with knowledges of a man of forty. This author proved the necessity of emancipation very early; he was arrested at the age of seventeen for distributing information about birth control. In On liberty, Mill wrote that all human beings are capable of rationalizing and that it is a benefit to all to tell the truth and learn form your mistake, take advises form other. “ He is capable of rectifying his mistakes, by discussion and experience. Not by experience alone. There must be discussion, to show how experience is to be interpreted…Very few facts are able to tell their own story, without comment to bring out their meaning.” (P1846) Here the author was trying to tell us that human being must communicate with each other, value each other opinion, bring proof to other in order to be convincing. “There are, it is alleged certain belief, so useful not to say indispensable to well being, that it is as much the duty of government to uphold those beliefs as to protect any other interest of the society. In a case of such necessity and so directly in the line of their duty…it is maintained warrant and even bind, governments to act on their own opinion confirmed by the general opinion of mankind.” (P1846) Mill held everyone accountable to tell the truth; however he pointed that sometimes government must hold the truth in order to protect the society. I think the point that Mill is trying to make is that there will be no injustice in society if everyone tell the truth and respect others’ opinion; the law will apply to all, Church would not be misleading their followers…