Liberty According to John Stuart

Liberty According to John Stuart Mill There are many groups and viewpoints that are oppressed in society around the world today. One example within the United States is the fact that homosexuals are not allowed to marry in most states. The right to marriage, as the state recognizes it, has not been extended to this population.

While homosexuals make up a minority within the United States, it is still important to extend to them the same rights as every other person and to make sure that they are able to express themselves within the society. According to Mill, it is important for people to be able to express themselves without having to worry about harm or any social repercussions.

As society defines what is good or bad for it, Mill would argue that it is the individual's right and responsibility, within a democracy, to be able to pursue their own happiness and values for themselves. Encouraging the idea that minority viewpoints should be expressed and the action of making sure they can be are two separate accomplishments. Within a society, according to Mill's third principle, people should be able to have specific liberties.

One of these liberties is the ability for a person to, "pursue our own good, in our own way." Coupled with Mill's second principle of making sure others are not restricting people's pursuits with their own actions, minority groups can be assured a safe place in a democracy. In order to make sure people can express their viewpoints, it is important to first begin to foster a sense of freedom or liberty for the individual.

The American restriction against gay marriage works against this principle by extinguishing any sort of social awareness, dialogue, and acceptance of the practice by outlawing it all together. This is an example of how American politics and the American legal system have pre-empted any sort of social discussion or values creation, and the values creation came after the law was enacted. This is from a purely non-religious standpoint, as many religious people would argue the opposite.

The argument against gay marriage, from the religious perspective, is precisely what Mill was trying to protect society against by making sure other people did not hinder someone else's ability to freely express themselves as long as these expressions did no harm to others. It is difficult to argue against gay marriage as a practice that harms other people in a physical manner, and thusly, Mill would likely conclude that this practice is one born out of the individuals' right to express themselves.

Mill's first principle, that the only legal grounds for preventing someone from doing something is by making sure they are not.