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4meAndyou · F
John Stuart Mill: the Harm Principle was one of his sources:
"The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."
Human Liberty
For Mill, human liberty covers three (or four) distinct areas:
1.Freedom of thought/ freedom of expression
2.Freedom of action, whereby those actions cause no harm to others
3.freedom of association, where such associations are freely formed and not for the purpose of harming others.
No society in which these liberties are not, on the whole, respected, is free, whatever may be its form of government; and none is completely free in which they do not exist absolute and unqualified. The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest . . ."
"The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."
Human Liberty
For Mill, human liberty covers three (or four) distinct areas:
1.Freedom of thought/ freedom of expression
2.Freedom of action, whereby those actions cause no harm to others
3.freedom of association, where such associations are freely formed and not for the purpose of harming others.
No society in which these liberties are not, on the whole, respected, is free, whatever may be its form of government; and none is completely free in which they do not exist absolute and unqualified. The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest . . ."
Abstraction · 61-69, M
@4meAndyou I agree with this, in essence. I don't think it's either left wing or right wing (obviously with the exception of extreme right such as facism or extreme left such as communism.) Social democracies would support these principles also.
I think the nuance is in things like requiring people to pay taxes and the like.
I think the nuance is in things like requiring people to pay taxes and the like.