In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill wrote that an individual was allowed to do harm to himself or herself but not to others. He believed that government and authority over others should exist only to prevent individuals from doing harm to others.
While an individual can, he believed, choose to harm himself or herself, a person does not exist in isolation. Therefore, harm done to oneself (in this case, Alex's lie that he completed...
In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill wrote that an individual was allowed to do harm to himself or herself but not to others. He believed that government and authority over others should exist only to prevent individuals from doing harm to others.
While an individual can, he believed, choose to harm himself or herself, a person does not exist in isolation. Therefore, harm done to oneself (in this case, Alex's lie that he completed all the necessary safety tests) can in fact hurt others. Therefore, while the product seems to be safe, it may have defects down the line that have not yet been discovered. Therefore, Alex's decision to lie about having carried out the safety tests may eventually hurt other people. His lie has the capacity to harm others and not just himself. Accordingly, he violates John Stuart Mill's "harm principle."
In addition, Mill considered acts of harm possible from omission, not just commission. In other words, an individual can do harm by not doing something, not just by doing something. If an individual saw a fire and did not report it or try to put it out, for example, he or she would be violating the harm principle. Therefore, even though Alex does not commit a wrong by his actions, his inability to finish the safety tests is an act of omission that violates the harm principle according to John Stuart Mill.
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