Mill's 'On Liberty' and why we like the Nanny State
The recent edition of the highly regarded academic magazine Philosophy Now is a must read. Not only does it include this fantastically well worded and interesting contribution on the question 'How are we Free,' it also has some excellent articles written on the 19th Century Philosopher John Stuart Mill. While not as perennially fashionable as Nietzsche or Rousseau, Mill has had a more of an effect on our modern society than both these two combined. His efforts to consider the vitally important question of how we should live amongst others feel as relevant today as they did back in 1859, when he published his famous work 'On Liberty.' In this book Mill asks how the governing body of a civilization should infringe upon the freedoms of the individual and, after careful and beautifully thought out consideration, comes to a very simple conclusion: 'We should live in whatever manner we like, as long as we do not cause harm to others.' Any other rules are entirely supe