Emma Rixhon - Philosophy
To what extent are acts of individual rebellion necessary for social progress?
completely disregards. Communitarianism is the idea that society as a whole
needs to be at the centre of our concern rather than the individuals who form it.
Individuals are therefore not building blocks or units of society rather than an
interlinked mass whose relationships form society. Marx agreed with this theory,
and claimed that humans could only be seen as labourers whose efforts
benefitted society. Therefore, it may be possible that social progress cannot be
attributed to acts of individual rebellion rather than to a series of events deeply
engrained in humans’
desire
to
promote
the
good
of
their
community.
Stephen Gough, more commonly known as the Naked Rambler, has been
imprisoned over twenty times due to his choice to not wear clothes. However, he
continues to walk nude in public and carries on being fined and imprisoned for
indecency because he believes it is a human right to be naked. Whether or not
public
nudity
is
a
human
right,
Gough
definitely
experiences
“revulsion
at
the
infringement of his rights [and] complete and spontaneous loyalty to certain
aspects
of
himself.” 16 Camus claims that this is present in every act of rebellion,
meaning that each rebellious act implies a strong sense of self-worth in the rebel.
They
are
not
acting
out
of
concern
for
someone
else’s
rights,
but
because
they
feel their own have been breached. In this case, a strong sense of individualism is
also required in order to rebel, as one who blindly follows the crowd will not see
their importance as any greater than that of another
member
of
the
crowd’s,
nor
will they desire to see a change in their treatment. In addition to being a clear
example
of
Camus’
notion
of
rebellion,
Gough’s
naked
rambling
brings
up
a
flaw
in
Mill’s
argument.
Throughout
On Liberty, Mill advocates allowing people to act
freely as long as they do not harm others. However, he also declares, “There
are
many acts which, being directly injurious only to the agents themselves, ought
not to be legally interdicted, but which, if done publicly, are a violation of good
manners, and coming thus within the category of offences against others, may
rightly
be
prohibited.” 17 Discreet as he is, it is clear Mill is writing about ideas
such as the difference between marital sex at home and say, having sex in public.
Though this may make others uncomfortable, it comes in no way closer to
16
17
Camus, A. 1971 p19
Mill, JS. 2006 p110-111
210
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