Mill’s Harm Principle
The harm principle is a fundamental concept in the political ideology called liberalism and was initially suggested by English philosopher John Stuart Mill. This principle permits tolerance as long as an individual’s actions, beliefs, or practices do not cause harm to others. Here are some major factors as mentioned below.
- The harm principle limits how much governments can control what people do.
- It says that unless something actually hurts or endangers someone else, the government should not get involved.
- It is more about stopping things like hitting people than making sure everyone gets healthcare.
- People talk about the harm principle a lot in politics to decide when the government should step in.
- You can do things that only hurt yourself, like smoking, but not things that hurt others, like driving drunk.
Harm Principle| Class 11 Polity Notes
The harm principle is generally explained as “your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.” In other words, people should be free to act as they wish as long as their actions do not cause harm to others. The harm principle is central to the political philosophy of liberalism. It values individual rights and the personal liberty of the citizens. According to philosopher John Stuart Mill, “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
In this article, we are going to discuss the Harm Principle in detail.