Emma Rixhon - Philosophy
To what extent are acts of individual rebellion necessary for social progress?
harming them than free speech may. In addition, racist, misogynist, or
homophobic
insults
may
well
be
“a
violation
of
good
manners”
yet
Mill
is
not
at
all opposed to them. In other words, Mill is adopting here a Victorian attitude
towards
public
indecency,
which
isn’t
in
keeping
with
the
rest
of
his
text.
Regardless
of
Mill’s
judgements,
Gough
can
be
viewed
as
a
successful
individual
who has increased awareness of human body rights, and would therefore be
seen as a rebel by Camus. However he does not fulfil the criteria of having
brought about social change, as the attitude towards public nudity has not
developed greatly since his involvement. On the other hand, if the government
ever approved of his theories and the general public embraced them, we would
undeniably attribute to him some sense of liberating revolution.
The idea that it is the masses that determine the success of a revolution
brings about a further point. There are many individuals who believe their ideas
to be progressive and ameliorative for society, yet are generally agreed upon to
be wrong. This poses a problem though: as all rebels will meet against
opposition, what criterion can we apply to decide who is rebelling for a good
cause and who is rebelling for a bad cause? Rebellions which occurred in the past
demanding rights for women, homosexuals, and other minorities are now
praised because we have evolved as a society to accept that gender, sexuality,
and the colour of skin should not define us as lesser or greater beings. Though
this view is still not held by all, it is undeniable that it is infinitely more
widespread amongst our societies today than even eighty years ago.
Nevertheless, there have been individuals with a strong indignation against
certain states of affairs who have not successfully rebelled. Donatien Alphonse
François, the Marquis of Sade, was a revolutionary Frenchman who believed in
extreme freedom of choice. He was strongly inclined towards violence and
criminality, and wrote many philosophical texts entwined with violent eroticism.
However, his views were not popular and he was settled in an insane asylum for
much of his life. The success of certain individualist rebellions and failures of
others brings about the problem not of the importance of the rebel, but of the
society around them. Social progress happens not only when one speaks out
against an injustice, but when the society concerned is ready to make the change.
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