On Liberty (1859) [pdf]

Just a few of the ideas that this seminal text brought to the fore:

    - The Marketplace of Ideas
    - The Harm Principle
    - Utilitarianism as the moral mechanism of social policy

One of my all-time favorite pieces of political philosophy. I wish more people (not just philosophers or political scientists) took the time to read it. Also consider checking out Hobbes' Leviathan[1] and Rousseau's On the Social Contract[2].

[1] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm

[2] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46333/46333-h/46333-h.htm

I've noticed what may be a pattern in many HN discussions: a particular philosophy, such as stoicism, makes the rounds. (I would expect there is a common cause, such as a popular lecture, but that common cause is not always clear.)

Given that we have many thousands of readers here, I think it is better to have a diversity of philosophical explorations (rather than intense interest only on a few).

For example:

A. There are variations within utilitarianism that Mill lays out but does not resolve. For example, 'rule utilitarianism' or 'act utilitarianism' [1]

B. Another level out, there many theories of political economy that contrast with utilitarianism.

C. Political economy is a fascinating area. Many people already read Milton Friedman, so I often recommend reading Arthur Okun's "Equality and Efficiency: The Big Tradeoff" as a counterpoint [2]

D. Go another level out, and you will find many theories of ethics that are worth examining.

  1: https://www.iep.utm.edu/mill-eth/#H5
  2: https://assets.aspeninstitute.org/content/uploads/files/content/docs/OKUN_EQUALITY_AND_EFFICIENCY_(AS08).PDF

Scarcely. IANA(C)L, but you would have to find an area of law that is not very well legislated, and then you would have to exhaust existing areas of national and international law, comparable laws from other countries, constitutional law, jurisprudence, still finding yourself wanting, and even then you would do much better to use contemporary philosophers, some of which might be descended from Mill in their philosophical outlook.

Free speech crowd wants another thread to try and convince onlookers that banning people from online communities for people expressing "free speech" is a bad idea.

Not even Disney can get that copyright extended