The Proper Extent of Dissent in Society Comparison Essay by Master Researcher

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, an inherent argument can be traced through the works of Edmund Burke and those of John Stuart Mill. Burke asserts the importance of institutions and their presence in society. As an empirical philosopher, Mill developed the philosophy of utilitarianism, which bases knowledge upon human experience and emphasizes the importance of human reason. In his most famous work, "On Liberty," Mill holds that individual liberty and reason were the criteria for policy and the formation of the state. Thus, for Burke, it is the institutions that must develop in order to embrace justice; for Mill, it is the human being that is the initial criterion, and the institutions of society are, at best, a reflection of the human being's experience and reason.