John Stuart Mill, "the Marketplace of Ideas," and Minority Opinion — Michael Rectenwald (2024)

When justifying the airing of opinion, particularly of unpopular opinion, interlocutors have often pointed to John Stuart Mill’sOn Libertyfor support. Mill’s classical liberal tome is regarded as one of the greatest defenses of individuality, free thought, and free speech ever written. Raised by the free market economist and utilitarian James Mill, and holding “eccentric” views of his own, particularly with regards to the institution of marriage and the Christian morality supporting it,[1]Mill was well positioned to translate the principles of free market economics into the realm of ideas and their expression.

On Libertyis thus associated with the phrase “the marketplace of ideas,” a metaphor that compares competition of thought and expression in the public square with the competition of commodities in the market. As Mises noted in “Liberty and Property,” it was the market economy that led to the institution of democratic processes and also to the notion of liberty common today. Thus, we would expect that Mill’sOn Libertyadvocated the extension of market principles to the realm of ideation and its expression.

Although he has beencredited with the notionof the marketplace of ideas, Mill did not coin the phrase. It was likely introduced by the US Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. inAbrams v. United States(1919). What’s more, there is little evidence thatOn Libertyadvocated an unhampered marketplace of ideas, where ideas and expression vie in an agora of free and open competition. In fact, there is evidence to the contrary—that Mill preferred a kind of “affirmative action for unconventional opinions,”[2] an artificial preference bestowed on “minority” views.

Although Mill viewed free expression as a necessary condition for human progress and the discovery of truth, it was not a sufficient condition. When it came to minority opinion, Mill insisted on more than mere toleration:

On any of the great open questions just enumerated, if either of the two opinions has a better claim than the other, not merely to be tolerated, but to beencouraged and countenanced, it is the one which happens at the particular time and place to be in a minority. That is the opinion which, for the time being, represents the neglected interests, the side of human well-being which isin danger of obtaining less than its share.[3]

If by “encouraged and countenanced” Mill meant merely that minority views should be tolerated, he wouldn’t have written that minority opinions are “not merely to be tolerated.” By “encouraged and countenanced,” he thus meant “to approve of, to agree to, to consent to, to give one’s blessing to.” Unlike commodities, whose success depends on the favor of consumers, as Mill saw it, some ideas, particularly minority views, need special treatment, even in advance of free and fair competition. A minority opinion is not to be tested on the market like a commodity, in an open and fair competition, because without special sanctions, it would be “in danger of obtaining less than its share.”

Thus, the marketplace of ideas metaphor, if we mean by the phrase afree marketin ideas and expression, does not accurately capture Mill’s position. Commodities fare well on the market, because they appeal to large numbers or to those with greater buying power. And, short of monopolization, they are not granted approval in advance of competition. According to Mill, minority opinion requires special protections that the free market does not afford to commodities. If we extend the market metaphor to Mill’s position, minority opinions require subsidies.

According to the political philosopher Jill Gordon, the problem that Mill would have had with the marketplace of ideas notion is that the marketplace mechanism is no guarantor of truth, and Mill’s concern was not merely for the variety of opinion but also for the discovery of truth. The market would not choose what is true but what is popular.[4]

This line of thinking is generally why it is claimed that universities and other institutions of knowledge production should be protected from “naked” market forces. “The masses,” or “the powerful,” have no special interest in truth, or else no ability to recognize it when they see it. Thus, markets cannot be expected to favor the truth. I will not attempt to adjudicate this question here. Suffice it to say that—especially where the masses are concerned—the obloquy heaped on the market hinges on an elitism that is otherwise denied by the cognoscenti.

But what means might Mill have had in mind for lending minority opinion special support? He didn’t specify any in particular, but according to Gordon, one shouldn’t rule out the state:

Regarding government’s role in countenancing and encouraging minority viewpoints, Mill’s text suggests that any role that government might play in the development of its citizens, through countenancing and encouraging minority opinions, cannot countervail the freedoms of citizens. This tension makes government solutions to the problems of how to encourage and countenance minority opinions especially thorny, although not impossible. A few examples of the type of role government might play in encouraging minority opinion are government funding for alternative mass media, government subsidies for public radio and public television, and government funding for political journals with small circulations.[5]

That is, though not a “statist,” Mill, Gordon suggests, was already tending toward the kind of liberalism that began in earnest in the twentieth century.

The most important question, as I see it, is whether Mill’s special encouragement of minority opinion would protect discourse communities from the “social tyranny” that he claimed is “more formidable than many kinds of political oppression.”[6] As Mill saw it, only majority opinion can be tyrannical.

But what about the foisting of minority opinion on the majority through state funding? Isn’t this much more tyrannical than what Mill detested? And isn’t this precisely what is happening today, with such events asDrag Queen Story Hour, with the teaching of critical race theory and other such “encouraged and countenanced” minority opinions?

Subsidized minority opinion is much more likely to amount to social tyranny than the majority opinion of the marketplace. And a tyranny of the minority is antidemocratic. Meanwhile, the marketplace of ideas allows for niche markets, where minority opinions, akin to microbrews, can be vended, and their truths discovered—without being forced on a majority that doesn’t want them.

1.See John Stuart Mill to George Jacob Holyoake, December 7, 1848, in The Earlier Letters of John Stuart Mill, 1812–1848, part II, ed. Frances E. Mineka, vol. 13 of The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, by John Stuart Mill, ed. J.M. Robson (Toronto: University of Toronto Press; and London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1963), p. 741.

2.Greg Conti, “James Fitzjames Stephen, John Stuart Mill, and the Victorian Theory of Toleration,” History of European Ideas 42, no. 3 (2016): 364–98, https://doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2015.1133181.

3.John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (Kitchener, ON: Batoche Books Limited, 2001), pp. 45–46, emphasis mine.

4.Jill Gordon, “John Stuart Mill and the ‘Marketplace of Ideas,’” Social Theory and Practice 23, no. 2 (1997): 235–49, https://doi.org/10.5840/soctheorpract199723210.

5.Gordon, “John Stuart Mill and the ‘Marketplace of Ideas,’” pp. 244–45.

6.Mill, On Liberty, p. 9.

John Stuart Mill, "the Marketplace of Ideas," and Minority Opinion — Michael Rectenwald (2024)

FAQs

What was John Stuart Mill referring to when he coined the term the marketplace of ideas? ›

One often hears the expression "the marketplace of ideas" used in reference to John Stuart Mill's political theory in On Liberty. 1 This metaphor describes a situation in which people speak and exchange ideas freely, and it has a certain plausibility on two counts.

What was John Stuart Mill's viewpoint? ›

The ethical theory of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) is most extensively articulated in his classical text Utilitarianism (1861). Its goal is to justify the utilitarian principle as the foundation of morals. This principle says actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote overall human happiness.

What was the idea of John Stuart Mill? ›

John Stuart Mill believed in the philosophy of utilitarianism, which he would describe as the principle that holds "that actions are right in the proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness." By happiness he means, "intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by ...

How did John Stuart Mill want to change the economic system find main ideas? ›

Mill's approach to economics is based on his belief in the superiority of socialism, in which economic production would be driven by cooperatives owned by the workers. To this end, Mill argues that the laws of production may be natural laws, but the laws of distribution are created and enacted by human beings.

What is the marketplace of ideas explained? ›

A marketplace of ideas is a space where people can express their opinions freely without any government restrictions. This concept was first introduced by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes as a metaphor to explain the freedom of speech. The phrase "marketplace of ideas" was officially used in American caselaw in 1954.

What is the marketplace of ideas refers to? ›

The marketplace of ideas refers to the belief that the test of the truth or acceptance of ideas depends on their competition with one another and not on the opinion of a censor, whether one provided by the government or by some other authority.

What is Mill's main point? ›

Mill's main point in "On Liberty" is that individual freedoms must be protected from political, economic, and social tyranny. He believed that the complete autonomy of an individual, so long as their thoughts or actions do not harm others, must be protected.

What was John Stuart Mill's political views? ›

By his extraordinary talent, he enriched the liberal tradition of political thought. the expansion of the market economy and restriction of the sphere of state activity. Mill sought to revise this view of utilitarians so as to plead for the extension of state activity for the promotion of general welfare.

What is the famous quote from John Stuart Mill? ›

“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

What is John Stuart Mill's concept of freedom? ›

Mill's objective is to determine in what situations an individual should be free. Thus Mill's definition of free- dom follows the tradition of Hobbes and Locke, in which freedom is identi- fied with acting according to desire, and in which no moral or other qualifi- cations are placed on the desire.

What were the key texts of John Stuart Mill? ›

What were John Stuart Mill's most notable works? Some of John Stuart Mill's notable works included Principles of Political Economy, Autobiography, Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy, On Liberty, A System of Logic, The Subjection of Women, and Utilitarianism.

What was John Stuart Mill's legacy? ›

His influence on the growing culture of 19th century agnosticism was also significant, his writings and actions serving as proof for principled unbelief. His legacy was directly felt, in part, through the life of Helen Taylor, who continued to promote women's rights and agitate for humane social reforms.

For what reason did John Stuart Mill believe? ›

Mill combined economics with philosophy. He believed in a moral theory called utilitarianism—that actions that lead to people's happiness are right and that those that lead to suffering are wrong.

How did John Stuart Mill affect society? ›

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) profoundly influenced the shape of nineteenth century British thought and political discourse. His substantial corpus of works includes texts in logic, epistemology, economics, social and political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, religion, and current affairs.

What did John Stuart Mill believe about government? ›

According to Mill, there is no form of government that is appropriate in all times and places. Rather, governments must be tailored to the people they are to govern. While representative democracy is best in the civilized world, there are many peoples who are unfit for liberty.

What is the marketplace of ideas quizlet? ›

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to... the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.

What is the marketplace of free ideas? ›

The marketplace of ideas holds that the truth will emerge from the competition of ideas in free, transparent public discourse and concludes that ideas and ideologies will be culled according to their superiority or inferiority and widespread acceptance among the population.

What is the origin of the word marketplace? ›

Etymology. The term market comes from the Latin mercatus ("market place"). The earliest recorded use of the term market in English is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 963, a work that was created during the reign of Alfred the Great (r. 871–899) and subsequently distributed, copied throughout English monasteries.

What is the idea of the market? ›

Markets are arenas in which buyers and sellers can gather and interact. A high number of active buyers and sellers characterizes a market in a state of perfect competition. The market establishes the prices for goods and other services. These rates are determined by supply and demand.

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