on liberty-第24章

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have　thought　it　an　excellent　thing　if　all　the　rest　could　have　been



compelled　to　travel　his　road；　their　attempts　to　thwart　each　other's



development　have　rarely　had　any　permanent　success；　and　each　has　in



time　endured　to　receive　the　good　which　the　others　have　offered。　Europe



is；　in　my　judgment；　wholly　indebted　to　this　plurality　of　paths　for　its



progressive　and　many…sided　development。　But　it　already　begins　to



possess　this　benefit　in　a　considerably　less　degree。　It　is　decidedly



advancing　towards　the　Chinese　ideal　of　making　all　people　alike。　M。



de　Tocqueville；　in　his　last　important　work；　remarks　how　much　more



the　Frenchmen　of　the　present　day　resemble　one　another　than　did　those



even　of　the　last　generation。　The　same　remark　might　be　made　of



Englishmen　in　a　far　greater　degree。



　　In　a　passage　already　quoted　from　Wilhelm　von　Humboldt；　he　points　out



two　things　as　necessary　conditions　of　human　development；　because



necessary　to　render　people　unlike　one　another；　namely；　freedom；　and



variety　of　situations。　The　second　of　these　two　conditions　is　in　this



country　every　day　diminishing。　The　circumstances　which　surround



different　classes　and　individuals；　and　shape　their　characters；　are



daily　becoming　more　assimilated。　Formerly　different　ranks；　different



neighbourhoods；　different　trades　and　professions；　lived　in　what



might　be　called　different　worlds；　at　present　to　a　great　degree　in



the　same。　Comparatively　speaking；　they　now　read　the　same　things；



listen　to　the　same　things；　see　the　same　things；　go　to　the　same　places；



have　their　hopes　and　fears　directed　to　the　same　objects；　have　the　same



rights　and　liberties；　and　the　same　means　of　asserting　them。　Great　as



are　the　differences　of　position　which　remain；　they　are　nothing　to



those　which　have　ceased。　And　the　assimilation　is　still　proceeding。　All



the　political　changes　of　the　age　promote　it；　since　they　all　tend　to



raise　the　low　and　to　lower　the　high。　Every　extension　of　education



promotes　it；　because　education　brings　people　under　common



influences；　and　gives　them　access　to　the　general　stock　of　facts　and



sentiments。　Improvement　in　the　means　of　communication　promotes　it；



by　bringing　the　inhabitants　of　distant　places　into　personal　contact；



and　keeping　up　a　rapid　flow　of　changes　of　residence　between　one



place　and　another。　The　increase　of　commerce　and　manufactures



promotes　it；　by　diffusing　more　widely　the　advantages　of　easy



circumstances；　and　opening　all　objects　of　ambition；　even　the



highest；　to　general　competition；　whereby　the　desire　of　rising



becomes　no　longer　the　character　of　a　particular　class；　but　of　all



classes。　A　more　powerful　agency　than　even　all　these；　in　bringing　about



a　general　similarity　among　mankind；　is　the　complete　establishment；



in　this　and　other　free　countries；　of　the　ascendancy　of　public



opinion　in　the　State。　As　the　various　social　eminences　which　enabled



persons　entrenched　on　them　to　disregard　the　opinion　of　the　multitude



gradually　become　levelled；　as　the　very　idea　of　resisting　the　will　of



the　public；　when　it　is　positively　known　that　they　have　a　will；



disappears　more　and　more　from　the　minds　of　practical　politicians；



there　ceases　to　be　any　social　support　for　nonconformity…　any



substantive　power　in　society　which；　itself　opposed　to　the　ascendancy



of　numbers；　is　interested　in　taking　under　its　protection　opinions



and　tendencies　at　variance　with　those　of　the　public。



　　The　combination　of　all　these　causes　forms　so　great　a　mass　of



influences　hostile　to　Individuality；　that　it　is　not　easy　to　see　how　it



can　stand　its　ground。　It　will　do　so　with　increasing　difficulty；　unless



the　intelligent　part　of　the　public　can　be　made　to　feel　its　value…　to



see　that　it　is　good　there　should　be　differences；　even　though　not　for



the　better；　even　though；　as　it　may　appear　to　them；　some　should　be



for　the　worse。　If　the　claims　of　Individuality　are　ever　to　be　asserted；



the　time　is　now；　while　much　is　still　wanting　to　complete　the



enforced　assimilation。　It　is　only　in　the　earlier　stages　that　any　stand



can　be　successfully　made　against　the　encroachment。　The　demand　that　all



other　people　shall　resemble　ourselves　grows　by　what　it　feeds　on。　If



resistance　waits　till　life　is　reduced　nearly　to　one　uniform　type；



all　deviations　from　that　type　will　come　to　be　considered　impious；



immoral；　even　monstrous　and　contrary　to　nature。　Mankind　speedily



become　unable　to　conceive　diversity；　when　they　have　been　for　some　time



unaccustomed　to　see　it。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Chapter　4。



　　　　　Of　the　Limits　to　the　Authority　of　Society　over　the　Individual。







　　WHAT；　THEN；　is　the　rightful　limit　to　the　sovereignty　of　the



individual　over　himself？　Where　does　the　authority　of　society　begin？



How　much　of　human　life　should　be　assigned　to　individuality；　and　how



much　to　society？



　　Each　will　receive　its　proper　share；　if　each　has　that　which　more



particularly　concerns　it。　To　individuality　should　belong　the　part　of



life　in　which　it　is　chiefly　the　individual　that　is　interested；　to



society；　the　part　which　chiefly　interests　society。



　　Though　society　is　not　founded　on　a　contract；　and　though　no　good



purpose　is　answered　by　inventing　a　contract　in　order　to　deduce



social　obligations　from　it；　every　one　who　receives　the　protection　of



society　owes　a　return　for　the　benefit；　and　the　fact　of　living　in



society　renders　it　indispensable　that　each　should　be　bound　to



observe　a　certain　line　of　conduct　towards　the　rest。　This　conduct



consists；　first；　in　not　injuring　the　interests　of　one　another；　or



rather　certain　interests；　which；　either　by　express　legal　provision



or　by　tacit　understanding；　ought　to　be　considered　as　rights；　and



secondly；　in　each　person's　bearing　his　share　（to　be　fixed　on　some



equitable　principle）　of　the　labours　and　sacrifices　incurred　for



defending　the　society　or　its　members　from　injury　and　molestation。



These　conditions　society　is　justified　in　enforcing；　at　all　costs　to



those　who　endeavour　to　withhold　fulfilment。　Nor　is　this　all　that



society　may　do。　The　acts　of　an　individual　may　be　hurtful　to　others；　or



wanting　in　due　consideration　for　their　welfare；　without　going　to　the



length　of　violating　any　of　their　constituted　rights。　The　offender



may　then　be　justly　punished　by　opinion；　though　not　by　law。　As　soon



as　any　part　of　a　person's　conduct　affects　prejudicially　the



interests　of　others；　society　has　jurisdiction　over　it；　and　the



question　whether　the　general　welfare　will　or　will　not　be　promoted　by



interfering　with　it；　becomes　open　to　discussion。　But　there　is　no



room　for　entertaining　any　such　question　when　a　person's　conduct



affects　the　interests　of　no　persons　besides　himself；　or　needs　not



affect　them　unless　they　like　（all　the　persons　concerned　being　of



full　age；　and　the　ordinary　amount　of　understanding）。　In　all　such



cases；　there　should　be　perfect　freedom；　legal　and　social；　to　do　the



action　and　stand　the　consequences。



　　It　would　be　a　great　misunderstanding　of　this　doctrine　to　suppose



that　it　is　one　of　selfish　indifference；　which　pretends　that　human



beings　have　no　business　with　each　other's　conduct　in　life；　and　that



they　should　not　concern　themselves　about　the　well…doing　or



well…being　of　one　another；　unless　their　own　interest　is　involved。



Instead　of　any　diminution；　there　is　need　of　a　great　increase　of



disinterested　exertion　to　promote　the　good　of　others。　But



disinterested　benevolence　can　find　other　instruments　to　persuade



people　to　their　good　than　whips　and　scourges；　either　of　the　literal　or



the　metaphorical　sort。　I　am　the　last　person　to　undervalue　the



self…regarding　virtues；　they　are　only　second　in　importance；　if　even



second；　to　the　social。　It　is　equally　the　business　of　education　to



cultivate　both。　But　even　education　works　by　conviction　and



persuasion　as　well　as　by　compulsion；　and　it　is　by　the　former　only



that；　when