PHIL102 Week 10 Lecture Notes: John Stuart Mill

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from John Stuart Mill's philosophy, including liberalism, fallibility, utility, and the harm principle.

Liberal Political Philosophy

Political structures suited to managing the needs of free, independent agents who have equal rights

What does liberal political philosophy emphasize?

individual freedom, private property, democracy, and freedom of speech

Neoliberalism

An approach to political economy that prioritizes the market as a means of organizing society and enabling freedom

What does On Liberty (1859) emphasize?

Protection against the tendency of society to impose its own ideas and practices as rules of conduct, and importance of human development in its richest diversity

Fallibility

All genuine knowledge is based on induction, and therefore, all genuine knowledge is fallible and corrigible

Utility (Mill)

We need to produce the greatest happiness for all

Higher pleasures

pleasures that engage the mind and intellect, leading to a more meaningful and fulfilling life e.g. art, literature, and philosophy

lower pleasures

pleasures that are primarily physical and sensory in nature, often associated with basic needs and desires, such as food, drink, and sexual gratification

Human Flourishing

A progressive drive towards enriching human experience and well-being through increasing insight, sophistication, and civilization

The Harm Principle

Power can be rightfully exercised to prevent harm to others, not for their own good

Self-Regarding Actions

Actions that only affect the individual performing them

Other-Regarding Actions

Actions that affect people other than the one performing them

Which type of actions can the government curtail?

other-regarding actions

Paternalism

The doctrine of justified control, only applied to human beings in the maturity of their faculties

Despotism

A legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians, provided the end be their improvement

Mill's Argument for Free Speech

Freedom of thought and discussion allows the discovery and affirmation of truth - he is against any assumption of infallibility

Avoidance of Mistake Argument

Human fallibility makes freedom of expression necessary; our ideas need to be tested, which requires free speech

Assumption of Infallibility Argument

If we state that something is definitely false, then we assume our own infallibility; we can only be provisionally certain

Necessity of Error Argument

Even if an opinion was false, it would be wrong to stifle it because it stops opinion becoming dead dogma and keeps discussion and thought alive