Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Mill v. de Maistre & Burke. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 7 page analysis of how John Stuart Mill regarded custom as evidenced in his essay "On Liberty." This is then compared with the stance of Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre, and the three differ. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khjsmmb.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
defense of the individual against both the state and the rule of "custom," i.e. the rules of society devised through religion or culture. The theme of individualism remains Mills
central focus throughout the work, as he argues about what should constitute the boundaries of the state power toward its citizenry. While Mill argued against the tyrannical rule of custom,
two earlier writer, Joseph de Maistre and Edmund Burke wrote in defense of custom, arguing that the French Revolution had exceeded the boundaries of morality. A survey of these three
works will examine the question of how Mill might have argued against the claims of the more conservative Burke and de Maistre who both held that custom embodies valuable political
experience, as well as how Burke and de Maistre might have responded to Burkes argument. "On Liberty" shows that Mill felt that the principal topic for debate regarding liberty and
custom was what should be the extent of the power of the state over the individual. Mill argued that the only legitimate reason for interfering with the actions of
an individual with law, against his or her will, is to "prevent harm to others" (John...Liberty). Clarifying this still further, Mill asserts that laws should not be made to
facilitate a persons physical or moral good. In other words, laws should be formulated only in so far as one persons actions interfere with the interests of others. Mill doesnt
assert that men have a right to his liberty, but rather that this principle is based on utility. It is more useful for the "permanent interests of a man as
a progressive being" that he has the ability to determine his own welfare as long as it does not interfere with the welfare of others (John...Liberty). He goes on
...