Week 11

Classical liberals like Mill usually argue that so long as you aren't being coerced or forced to do something by the state, then you are free. People sympathetic to Marx are likely to argue that freedom requires that we are protected from forms of coercion that stem from economic disparities, and that this perhaps requires some kind of active state intervention to make sure that we are free to make our own economic choices.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Mill or Marx? Or perhaps a little with both?

I am going to have to go with Marx on this. The government’s job is to protect society and mostly protect people from themselves. This is because there’s too many knuckle heads out there. To have liberty without any intervention would be a disaster for society. This ideal that freedom is “let me do or say what I want” is wrong. No wonder why so many Americans take advantage of this and abuse it. For example; I think that “Freedom of Speech” goes too far and it allows people to go as far as to insult other races and cause chaos in society. Another great example is “Bullying”. These are epidemics facing our society and there’s no doubt in my mind that some of these rights should be modified. In order to maintain peace, they must intervene. Through the years, it has upset me that some these issues facing our society have not been made illegal.