harm principle
Quick Summary
The harm principle, articulated by John Stuart Mill, is a philosophical concept that defines the only legitimate reason for interfering with an individual's liberty. This principle states that individuals should be free to act as they wish, provided their actions do not cause harm to others. Interference is only justified for self-protection or to prevent harm to others, not for an individual's own good, which is considered a paternalistic overreach.1
This principle is a cornerstone of libertarianism, a political philosophy emphasizing individual liberty as the primary political value. Libertarians advocate for limited government intervention, allowing individuals the greatest freedom of action consistent with the equal freedom of others. Conversely, paternalism involves infringing on personal freedom with a beneficent intent, often seen as an infringement on autonomy.23
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- historical injusticeThe lasting impact of historical injustices
ā¦to the most-common interpretation of harm, individuals can be understood to be fully compensated for an act or policy when they are as well off as they would be if the act had not been carried out. For example, in the United States, have present-day descendants of slaves been harmedā¦
Read Moreā¦to the most-common interpretation of harm, individuals can be understood to be fully compensated for an act or policy when they are as well off as they would be if the act had not been carried out. For example, in the United States, have present-day descendants of slaves been harmedā¦
Read More - historical injusticeThe lasting impact of historical injustices
ā¦ancestors under this interpretation of harm? The present-day descendantsā existence is the product of unbroken genealogical chains that stretch from the forced removal of their ancestors from Africa to their enslavement in America, all points of which are (very likely) necessary conditions for the descenantsā having come into existence atā¦
Read Moreā¦ancestors under this interpretation of harm? The present-day descendantsā existence is the product of unbroken genealogical chains that stretch from the forced removal of their ancestors from Africa to their enslavement in America, all points of which are (very likely) necessary conditions for the descenantsā having come into existence atā¦
Read More - historical injusticeThe moral status of past victims
ā¦for the possibility of posthumous harm: the interests of people while alive can be harmed with respect to posthumous states of affairs. That view requires the harm to have occurred before the death of the person, which presupposes a deterministic understanding of the occurrence of the harmful event. Others haveā¦
Read Moreā¦for the possibility of posthumous harm: the interests of people while alive can be harmed with respect to posthumous states of affairs. That view requires the harm to have occurred before the death of the person, which presupposes a deterministic understanding of the occurrence of the harmful event. Others haveā¦
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