Paper Summary:

This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "On Liberty," by John Stuart Mill. Specifically, discusses how John Stuart Mill would view the issue of pornography. It shows that pornography has been argued by many feminists and advocates for women's rights to be pernicious to women because it eroticizes and promotes relationships of inequality and subordination of women to men. For this reason, they argue that pornography should be censored. It looks at what Mill would have said about this issue and whether he would have been a principled opponent to any form of censorship, including censorship of pornography.

From the Paper:

"In this paper, I will argue that John Stuart Mill was an early proponent of equal rights for women, but he also believed in free speech, and would never advocate censorship, even of objectionable material, and his opening paragraph clearly states this fact. "The subject of this Essay is not the so-called Liberty of the Will, so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of Philosophical Necessity; but Civil, or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual" (On Liberty, Introductory, 1). In other words, Mill clearly states his position from the first sentence in his essay there is a limit to the power that can be exercised over any individual in society, including the power of censorship. While material may be objectionable, or in the case of pornography, even filthy, everyone in society has a right to choose what he or she view, and the power of censorship is not valid in a functioning society. Each member can choose to view what they want, and what they do not want, therefore, censorship is unnecessary, and invalidates the rights of everyone. He continues with his argument that this does not reduce a man (or woman) from having a conscience, and doing what we believe is right and good for us, and for those around us."

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