Mills stance on liberalism and strength of individual
In his essay On Liberty, Mill takes a stand for liberalism and advocates society to strengthen individual liberties. But in Mill’s fight for individual freedom he is met with the question of the government’s ability to encroach upon the rights and liberties of the individual that Mill states should be granted to them. ... Yes, using Mill’s utilitarian beliefs he concludes there are points in which a man’s individual liberty will not take precedence and society is given the right to intervene. ... He concurs that an individual has a responsibility, as a member of a society, to not infringe upon or abuse other’s liberties, to not bring harm to another, and to also make some contribution to the community. In his concord with this theory we see that Mill feels society can breach a person’s civil liberties only when his/her individual actions are detrimental to the society as a whole. ... When the private views and opinions come to hurt the individual that is not attempting to act in their better interest it is referred to as a natural penalty.