Human Freedom Midterm 2024

J.S Mill: liberal democracy must guarantee three things: harm principle, individuality and freedom from censorship. Explain his arguments.

J.S Mill: liberal democracy must guarantee three things: harm principle, individuality and freedom from censorship. Explain his arguments.

1. Causing harm onto others is wrong: unless it is to prevent others from causing harm. Civilians should have utmost freedom until their actions affect others.

2. Individuality is important for personal development: creates for diverse society allowing different ways of thought which allows societal progress

3. Censorship is societal setback: every opinion is important even if the opinion is considered politically incorrect. Allows debate and pathways to change.

Immanuel Kant: Three specific points made to understand his argument

1. Choosing to know: you need to have courage to think for themselves. Most people don’t because of laziness, fear or relying on others. Enlightenment happens when you break free from them.

2. The role of freedom: freedom of thought and expression is essential to an enlightened society. Should be able to debate and challenge authority without fear of punishment because thought is essential for progress.

3. Gradual Enlightenment: Kant knows that it’s a process. Process begins with a few enlightened people and they must inspire others to think for themselves and push them to protect their freedom of thought.

Two key challenges in women’s emancipation at end of 18th century according to M. Wollstonecraft? What two ways did women remain oppressed more than a century later according to E. Goldman?

Mary Wollstonecraft:

1. Lack of Education:

denied the same opportunities as men. therefore kept in a state of ignorance.

2. Women were confined to the domestic life. forced to focus on beauty and submissiveness.

Emma Goldman:

1. Marriage is a form of oppression:

forced to depend on their husbands for survival.

2. Economically disadvantaged

women are paid less than men and the only way women can be free is if they are economically independent from the men in their lives.

Bakunin and Nietzsche are very anti-authoritarian but, present different solutions to mass politics. One anarchist the other libertarian. Two points made by each author that help understand their arguments.

Bakunin (Anarchist):

1. opposed to the state and hierarchal authority. believes that true freedom can only be achieved through an abolition of authority and create a society that relies on cooperation and mutual aid.

2. Bakunin argues that liberation will only happen if a mass revolution occurs. change can only happen in numbers.

Nietzsche (Libertarian):

1. Herd Mentality is wrong. causes conformity over greatness and individuality therefore preventing progress.

2. Liberty can only occur for the Free Spirits. they break from societal constraints, creating their own meaning outside of mass politics.

two reasons why Schopenhauer argues that free will is an illusion. why Nietzsche dismisses this argument and why that the existence of free will has little to do with how we live our lives.

Schopenhauer:

1. all our actions are determined by our needs and desires which are determined by other circumstances/factors. everything we decide is the result of our character and external factors.

2. Schopenhauer also explains that all our actions are governed by our “will”. therefore, acting based on the force of the will.

Nietzsche:

1. one can shape their “will” to overcome these circumstances.

2. Those who are truly liberated reject collective formulas like free will, religion, morality, politics, traditions, etc.