John Stuart Mill, On Liberty | The Harm Principle | Philosophy Core Concepts

[@QuintessentialQs]

Thanks! I'm currently preparing a video essay on liberty and the historical discussion of the subject, and critiquing Mill is a heavy part of it. Hearing someone else's take on Mill's essay is helpful. Very timely.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it's useful for you!

[@politicalthoughtexperiment4895]

On Liberty was the very first philosophical text I read completely during my undergraduate. It still remains one of my most enjoyable to read (even if I disagree with pretty much every approach he takes lol).

[@GregoryBSadler]

Mill is indeed a great read

[@BlySS93]

Hello dr. Salder. I have recently found your channel and It helps a lot. I love your content. I have a question. As a self-learner of philosophy, as a hobby does one need to follow a progression of thought through he centuries.. meaning do I have to start from ... pre-Socratic thinkers and move up to modern day ideas, or is it okay to skip some things? Because I'm mainly interested in the psychological part of philosophy, not so much metaphysics or politics. ( Even though they're all connected ). But I started from Atheists like Hitchens, which lead to Bible studies, which lead to Alchemy, which lead to Jung... then Thomas Aquinas , then Plato, then the Stoics ... my progression got very chaotic and I haven't really focused on anything because I'm not sure where to start deeply. Rather a big question but I hope you can answer. Keep up the good work :)

[@GregoryBSadler]

There are many legitimate ways to study philosophy

[@ainapujalssieira8362]

Hi! I’m a philosophy student from Barcelona. I would say that it’s more eficient reading in some sort of chronological order since many philosophers make their theories by criticising others. For example, It may be more dificult to understand Hegel if you haven’t read Kant.

[@omishasood5544]

thank you so much for uploading this, i have a jurisprudence presentation tomorrow in my law school and this video really helped me understand this topic clearly. god bless xx.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it was helpful for you

[@lo5983]

Hi prof. Sadler, and thank you for this video. I'm stuck in a thought spiral regarding the harm principle and paternalism in connection to fast food. On the one hand, fast food companies use manipulative strategies (marketing, flavour enhancements, addictive components such as salt, sugar and fats) in order to sell their (harmful) products. This seems to me to be sufficient grounds for paternalistically banning or restricting fast food containing harmful components. On the other hand, the consumers - the 'victims' of the fast food industry, do by and large know about the risks and do thus competently consent to buying the harmful products. Yet, their starting point is from a disadvantage due to the marketing and addictive nature of the foodstuffs, which again should grant paternalistic action. What are your thoughts on this?

[@GregoryBSadler]

I doubt most consumers understand what’s in their food and the risks involved

[@lo5983]

@@GregoryBSadler So you'd say that Mill would grant paternalistic actions to prevent fast food companies from selling their food? Or would it be a matter of education, either to educate the people on what the food contains and its risks, or to coerce the companies into displaying the harmful components and their risks?

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@lo5983 You should know that it's not an either/or once and for all, right? Think about how Utilitarians - since Mill is one - approach matters

[@samar1462]

A day before yesterday, I saw a father beat his child who was shockingly horrified at his rage. His face with a grief inexpressible was shaking severely, while the father was delivering merciless slaps on its soft cheekbones. After about 5 minutes, the beating ended and the child ran to his mother who was unable to decide her course of action during this horror, and uttered with every last bit of skipping breath the complete innocence on his part. I was horrified, stunned, and saw all this while being unable to decide any action. I felt helpless, choiceless, and immense sorrow on the tyranny of this beautiful child and the tyrant of his father.

[@GregoryBSadler]

We see awful stuff like this all the time unfortunately. That said, what does that have to do with Mill’s Harm Principle?

[@xaviercrain7336]

In many ways you are showing how on liberty is tied to utilitarianism and the question of following the greater pleasures not at the expense of the lower pleasures but to diminish the latter when it publicly comes to endanger or discomfort other liberties

[@GregoryBSadler]

I'm not showing it. I'm discussing Mill, who may or may not be right

[@thanvx]

Thank you, Professor , for the enlightening lecture on the Harm Principle. Your insights were immensely helpful in preparing for my upcoming lecture. Grateful for your expertise and clarity!

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!

[@stino9635]

Uploading during spring break? Something I was not expecting

[@GregoryBSadler]

I'm almost never on break

[@ChaoticBean794]

What would Mill think of requiring masks.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Like other rational people dealing with public health crises, he'd be in favor of it

[@GregoryBSadler]

@@ParallelNewsNetwork Love when nuts out themselves with such hyperbolic language

[@hp4735]

THANK YOU!

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!