ABSTRACT
In tackling the thought of John Stuart Mill, we reach the threshold of the modern treatment of tolerance, and with his book On Liberty (1859) the last of the classic texts on tolerance and freedom. The aim is to have a slightly different approach to this text, not only looking at how Mill has a view of the importance of individual human development and personal freedom, the basis for classical liberal thinking, but all through the book on liberty he tackles the individual’s constant relationship with others and how this is to be negotiated for the benefit of both the individual and society. Tolerance of others’ opinions is central to this view of that relationship.
I use Mill’s ‘harm principle’ as one of the main elements of my notion of subject tolerance. My version of this principle is that one needs to tolerate people’s practices, beliefs or values provided they do not significantly harm the current society and offend the basic rights of its citizens.
