John Stuart Mill

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses John Stuart Mill, well known for his views on the way that social and political power can limit and obstruct individual freedom. The paper explains that Mill also opposed the understanding of freedom without any social constraints. The paper states that Mill's conception of freedom strongly emphasized the concept of the autonomy of the individual and the necessary limitations on the control of the power of the State, as well as the extent to which the State could intrude on the lives of the individual.

From the Paper:

"Mills' conception of freedom emphasizes the necessity of autonomy. This includes the widest possible range of choices and opportunities for self- development for the individual "in relation to the full range of forms of power that situate people. In this view, freedom and power are linked in a continuing interplay, not a simply oppositional relationship". (Baum 187) Therefore, the central idea of individual autonomy for Mill is dependent of the context that the individual is situated in relation to the various power structures and relationships. These could include categories of power relationships such as educational, political, economic, gender, and family relations. (ibid) However, in the cultivation of individual autonomy and the 'sovereignty' of the individual in 'self-regarding' matters', (ibid) Mill also emphasizes that freedom is not constituted solely in terms of the actions of the individual but must be envisaged as a concept that is interlinked with power structure and democratic self-government."

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