Question

John Stuart Mill: Ethics

picture of MillThe ethical theory of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) is most extensively articulated in his classical text Utilitarianism (1861). Its goal is to justify the utilitarian principle as the foundation of morals. This principle says actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote overall human happiness. So, Mill focuses on consequences of actions and not on rights nor ethical sentiments.

This article primarily examines the central ideas of his text Utilitarianism, but the article’s last two sections are devoted to Mill’s views on the freedom of the will and the justification of punishment, which are found in System of Logic (1843) and Examination of Sir William Hamilton’s Philosophy (1865), respectively.

Educated by his father James Mill who was a close friend to Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill came in contact with utilitarian thought at a very early stage of his life. In his Autobiography he claims to have introduced the word "utilitarian" into the English language when he was sixteen. Mill remained a utilitarian throughout his life. Beginning in the 1830s he became increasingly critical of what he calls Bentham’s "theory of human nature". The two articles "Remarks on Bentham’s Philosophy" (1833) and "Bentham" (1838) are his first important contributions to the development of utilitarian thought. Mill rejects Bentham’s view that humans are unrelentingly driven by narrow self-interest. He believed that a "desire of perfection" and sympathy for fellow human beings belong to human nature. One of the central tenets of Mill’s political outlook is that, not only the rules of society, but also people themselves are capable of improvement.
What are the two downsides of freedom for Mill?

Answer 1

John Stuart Mill's two downsides of freedom include the potential harm to others if freedom is unrestricted and the necessity of limited government intervention to ensure greater happiness for the majority.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two downsides of freedom for John Stuart Mill pertain to the potential harm unrestricted freedom can cause to others and the paradox that some degree of control is necessary to ensure the greater happiness and freedom of the many. Mill's harm principle suggests that while individual liberty is crucial, it must be curtailed if it inflicts harm upon others. Furthermore, Mill recognized the need for government intervention in some circumstances, such as to improve the lives of the working class or to enforce regulations that safeguard the general populace, even though this might restrict the freedoms of certain individuals like middle-class business owners.