John Stuart Mill | Freedom of Thought and Discussion | Philosophers Explained | Stephen Hicks

John Stuart Mill defends absolute freedom of thought and expression, arguing that open discussion and criticism are essential for progress in science, morals, and politics, and that controversial ideas need opposition to stay alive and vigorous 

Questions to inspire discussion

• What does John Stuart Mill defend?

  —John Stuart Mill defends absolute freedom of thought and expression, arguing that open discussion and criticism are essential for progress in science, morals, and politics.

• Why does Mill argue for freedom of thought and discussion?

  —Mill argues that instead of appealing to absolute rights, we should evaluate the consequences of actions, advocating for free speech based on its beneficial consequences and against censorship based on its negative consequences.

• Why does Mill believe censorship of opinions is bad?

  —Censorship of opinions, whether true or false, has negative consequences according to John Stuart Mill, as it assumes infallibility and suppresses the possibility of truth.

• What is essential for individual and social progress in discussions?

  —Being open-minded, making mistakes, being open to correction, and listening to others with different perspectives is essential for individual and social progress in discussions, according to John Stuart Mill.

• Why does Mill argue that vigorous debate and criticism are necessary for progress?

  —Vigorous debate and criticism are necessary for progress, as silencing opinions may suppress truth, and challenging opinions keeps them alive and allows for healthy progress, according to John Stuart Mill. 

Key Insights

• 🏛️ The power to silence is an illegitimate power, whether it comes from a monarchy or a democracy.
• 🤔 The difference between presuming an opinion to be true and assuming its truth for the purpose of not permitting its refutation is crucial in the discussion of freedom of thought and discussion.
• 🤔 The only good reason for having reliability in our opinions is the complete liberty of contradicting and disproving our opinion, which justifies us in assuming its truth for purposes of action.
• 🚫 The intolerance and willingness to suppress people for alternative opinions is still a dangerous lurking problem, even in the 19th century England.
• ⚖️ The truth depends on a balance between conflicting reasons, and it's essential for educated people to be exposed to contrary opinions and exercise their best judgment.
• 🎓 John Stuart Mill argues that genuine education consists of exposing students to different opinions and arguments, allowing them to see smart people and their arguments in collision with each other.
• 🚫 There is a deadly danger to a movement when it becomes the majority opinion and stops practicing its beliefs in the same manner by which it came to be the majority opinion in the first place.
• 🤔 Even if our opinion is true, we still want it to be challenged by false opinions in order to keep it alive and vigorous. 

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Clips

• 00:00 📚 John Stuart Mill defends absolute freedom of thought and expression, emphasizing the importance of free thinking and addressing possible counter arguments in democratic and republican times.
  • Stephen Hicks covers major philosophers and their works in his series "Philosophers Explained," providing an introduction and close reading of important texts.
  • John Stuart Mill argues for the integration of liberty of thought and discussion, emphasizing the importance of free expression grounded in free thinking.
  • John Stuart Mill defends freedom of thought and discussion in the context of historical success of liberal arguments, addressing possible counter arguments in democratic and republican times.
  • Freedom of thought and expression is absolute and any form of coercion, whether by the government or the people, is illegitimate.
• 04:40 🤔 John Stuart Mill argues for free speech based on beneficial consequences and against censorship due to negative consequences, as censoring opinions assumes infallibility and suppresses the possibility of truth.
  • John Stuart Mill argues that instead of appealing to absolute rights, we should evaluate the consequences of actions, advocating for free speech based on its beneficial consequences and against censorship based on its negative consequences.
  • Censorship of opinions, whether true or false, has negative consequences according to John Stuart Mill.
  • Censoring opinions is bad because they may contain some truth and suppressing them assumes infallibility.
  • Assuming your own correctness and silencing discussion is an assumption of infallibility, even if you consider the possibility of being wrong.
  • Presuming an opinion to be true and not allowing it to be refuted is different from having a strong opinion that is open to possible refutation.
• 10:28 🧠 Open discussion and criticism are essential for progress in science, morals, and politics, as individuals and society must be open-minded, correct errors, and consider different perspectives.
  • Complete liberty of contradicting and disproving our opinions is necessary for rational assurance of being right, and John Stuart Mill believes that progress in science, morals, and politics is not due to inherent human intelligence.
  • The majority of people are incapable of making informed judgments on complicated matters, but the progress and rational conduct of mankind is due to the correctability of errors.
  • Open discussion and criticism are essential for rectifying mistakes and progressing in judgment and wisdom.
  • Being open-minded, making mistakes, being open to correction, and listening to others with different perspectives is essential for individual and social progress in discussions.
  • The catholic church, despite being historically intolerant, has a policy of considering criticisms and being open to the possibility of being wrong, which is an important historical lesson according to John Stuart Mill.
• 16:59 🤔 Authorities throughout history have persecuted individuals they deemed immoral or wrong, such as Socrates, Jesus, and Marcus Aurelius.
  • Socrates, a wise and influential philosopher, was put to death by his countrymen in Athens despite being revered by many other wise people throughout history.
  • Authorities throughout history have made the mistake of persecuting individuals they deemed immoral or wrong, such as Socrates, Jesus, and Marcus Aurelius.
• 19:42 🤔 Good ideas will prevail despite short-term setbacks, but history shows that persecution of ideas can persist for long periods of time, and there is still a danger of intolerance and suppression of alternative views.
  • Be careful not to be dogmatically arrogant and assume you can't be wrong, especially when wanting to censor and suppress other people's ideas, as good ideas will ultimately prevail despite short-term setbacks.
  • Persecution of ideas is not always overcome by truth, as history is filled with instances of good ideas being suppressed for long periods of time.
  • Progress has been made in tolerating differing opinions, but there is still a danger of intolerance and suppression of alternative views.
• 23:42 🤔 Censoring opinions hinders the examination of truth, so it's important to teach critical thinking and present different perspectives to develop educated individuals who can exercise their best judgment.
  • Censoring opinions, whether true or false, can have negative consequences and hinder the examination of truth.
  • Mill discusses the importance of teaching young people to think critically and not just accept truths on authority.
  • Understanding the reasons behind truths is essential for true education and argument development.
  • Teach the truth and reasons for it, but also criticize and present different perspectives, as in the case of teaching geometry.
  • The truth depends on a balance between conflicting reasons, so it is essential for educated people in the sciences to be exposed to contrary opinions and exercise their best judgment, especially in more complicated matters such as morals, religion, politics, and social relations.
• 29:49 📚 Understanding and countering opposing arguments is crucial for progress in legal and political matters, as well as in education, and movements that adopt free speech policies historically have to argue persuasively and counter majority opinions to make social progress.
  • To effectively argue a position in court, one must thoroughly understand and be prepared to counter the opposing arguments, requiring an open mind and practice with colleagues.
  • Understanding both sides of an argument is crucial for progress in legal and political matters.
  • Mill argues that in the context of education, students need to hear arguments from people with different opinions in order to become experts in their field.
  • Movements that adopt free speech policies historically have to argue persuasively and counter majority opinions to make social progress.
  • When a true movement becomes the majority opinion, it becomes lazy, complacent, and starts announcing beliefs as dogma, leading to decline and ultimate failure.
• 34:52 🤔 Controversial ideas need opposition to stay alive and vigorous, so it is important to welcome critics and disbelievers in order to keep doctrines alert and alive.
  • Ethical doctrines and religious creeds gain meaning and vitality through struggle and either prevail as the general opinion or their progress stops.
  • When controversial ideas become widely accepted, people stop arguing about them and believers become complacent, leading to the decline of critical thinking and discussion.
  • True opinions need opposition to stay alive and vigorous, so it is important to welcome critics and disbelievers in order to keep doctrines alert and alive.
  • Mill argues that censoring beliefs, whether true or false, leads to negative consequences, and that the most common case is when conflicting doctrines share some truth between them.
  • Vigorous debate and criticism are necessary for progress, as silencing opinions may suppress truth, and challenging opinions keeps them alive and allows for healthy progress.

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