In the nineteenth century, John Stuart Mill was an activist and political thinker in Britain. He was one of the most ardent supporters of and practitioners of utilitarianism, a school of thought that held that an action was only considered appropriate if it benefited the majority of society. In his essay "On Liberty," he insists vehemently that the protection of one's freedom of thought regardless of how heinous or moral and, by extension, one's freedom to express oneself based on that thought are crucial to the upkeep of individual liberty.
The concept of freedom of speech and thought proposed by Stuart Mill:
The Law of Harm: This holds that the state is only permitted to restrict an individual's freedom for the purpose of preventing that individual from causing harm to others. Mill aims to demonstrate that society should never arbitrarily suppress opinions.
Expression freedom: He gave four justifications for the need for freedom of speech, even for those who hold beliefs that today appear to be false or misleading:
There is no completely false idea: We see truth in what we perceive to be false. We would lose the element of truth that lies within false ideas if we outlaw them.
Truth does not appear on its own: Truth can only emerge from a conflict between opposing viewpoints.
Trustworthiness: Thirdly, we can only be sure that a concept is reliable if it is confronted with opposing viewpoints.
Suppression: Ideas that were once viewed as false by the entire society and, as a result, suppressed latert urned out to be true. The benefits of what could prove to be extremely valuable knowledge could be lost in a society that completely suppresses all ideas that are currently considered unacceptable.
Man as an evolving being: Mill argues that it is in our best interests to know and understand what is true, and that freedom of thought and expression will contribute to man's long-term interests as a progressive being.
Develop logical thought: He says that freedom makes us more open-minded and thoughtful and helps us develop our intellectual and rational faculties.
Exposing hypocrisy: Freedom, according to Mill, helps people confront hypocrisy, intellectual sluggishness, and self-satisfaction. Intellectual courage is undermined and truth discovery is slowed by public criticism.
Essential for a life of meaning: He believed that freedom of conscience, the freedom to express and publish one's opinions, the freedom to live as one pleased, and freedom of association were necessary for living a meaningful life and pursuing one's own interests.
Mill says that individuality means having the ability to think critically and critically. It refers to selfimprovement and the concept of free will. He emphasized the importance of complete freedom of conscience, belief, and expression to human development.
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