There were and would be many intellectual thinkers; although present ones are limited from expressing their free mentality inasmuch as, there is a law and hence a fear that precludes them from assert their mental freedom.
“There have been, and may again be, great individual thinkers in a general atmosphere of mental slavery. But there never has been, nor ever will be, in that atmosphere an intellectually active people … we can expect no fresh start until we again assert our mental freedom” (p.33).
Premises:
1. It is the fallacy that people believe in that the maxim that claims that truth always attains victory over persecution (p.27).
a. e.g., persecution of heretics was indeed done frequently (p.27).
b. Those who does not worship a God are forbidden to present evidence in a court of justice (p.29).
2. Governmental penalties would usually succeed to cease individuals from propagation (p.28).
a. The advantage of truth consists of it being rediscovered again even if it may take several centuries (p.28).
3. Individuals who value and regard the opinions of people who repudiate their beliefs as important, are those who lack mental freedom (p.30).
Society had used rules and laws as well as religion to control the genius of human mind. These Establishments and religious institutions were created in a moment where men were induced by originality and innovative ideas. Therefore,society controls and dominates the new ways of thinking to maintain the status quo.
ReplyDeleteI rarely trust an opinion of a person who knows everything they do from somebody else, whether it be a parent, a teacher, a priest or a scholar. This is because they often lack the mental freedom to question what's being taught to them. In middle school, I went to an Islamic school, and I believed, and practiced, everything that I was taught. But when I went to a public high school, I finally had the mental freedom to question. Questioning what one is taught isn't even an issue of smart vs dumb; it's an issue of freedom vs suppression.
ReplyDeleteWhile Mill does hate the suppression of ideas through forced discourse, it should definitely be kept in mind that he does not discourage the interaction of ideals and values. By doing so we find can discover why we believe what we believe and through this interaction improve ourselves and our fellow man.
ReplyDelete