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In this episode I give several examples of ancient, modern and contemporary controversies about the suppression of speech.

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In this episode I explain Mill's distinction between three spheres of liberty that should not be prohibited by law of social pressure. They are: Liberty of conscience; liberty of tastes and pursuits; and liberty of combination (association) among individuals. I will also explain Mill's distinction between compelling persons from doing harm and compelling them to do acts of beneficence for others.

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In this episode Mill explain why it is justifiable to restrict the liberty of children, mentally handicapped adults and people in backward societies for self-regarding harms. But the restriction must be for their benefit and not for the benefit of others (for example, slavery).

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In Episode 2 of Understanding J.S. Mill's ON LIBERTY, Professor Houlgate explains Mill's famous Harm-to-Others Principle and compares it to three other principles: Harm-to-Self (Paternalism), Legal Moralism, and the Offense Principle. Mill argues that the only principle for justifiably restricting individual liberty is the Harm-to-Others Principle.

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John Stuart Mill begins his book On Liberty with an account of what he calls "The Tyranny of the Majority." He means "majority rule" and it refers to the power that a voting majority of people in a sovereign state have over a minority. It was once thought that majority rule is a good thing, the backbone of democracy. But Mill says, a majority can vote to suppress the liberty of a minority, as happened in the U.S.A. during the many years of slavery, and as continued to happen after the Civil War during the time of Jim Crow when a white majority made it impossible for a black minority to vote or to get a decent education. The question that Mill asks is normative. Under what conditions is it morally right for a majority to suppress the liberty of a minority?

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, EP 14, Laudable Injustice

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, EP 13 Justice and Utility (cont.)

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, EP 12, Feelings of Justice and the Idea of a Right

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, Justice and Utility, EP 11

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, Proof of the Principle of Utility (cont.) EP 10

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, Proof of the Principle of Utility, EP 9

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, The Ultimate Sanction (cont.). EP 8

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, EP 7 The Ultimate Sanction

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism EP 6 What Utilitarianism Is (cont.)

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, What Utilitarianism Is (cont.), EP5

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Understanding J.S. Mills Utilitarianism EP4 What Utilitarianism Is (cont.)

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Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, What Utilitarianism Is, EP3