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On two ways to expand on the harm principle

Rodrigo Jungmann de Castro

Autor
Rodrigo Jungmann de Castro
Revista
Argumentos - Revista de Filosofia
Edição
16 / esp
Ano
2024
DOI
10.36517/Argumentos.16.esp.94440
Páginas
141-152
Idioma
pt
2024Rodrigo Jungmann de Castro. On two ways to expand on the harm principle. Argumentos - Revista de Filosofia, v. 16, n. esp, p. 141-152, 2024.2

In this article I survey the historical antecedents of what has been commonly referred to as John Stuart Mill´s Harm Principle and some of the ways in which the principle has been discussed in the work of recent analytic philosophers. Subsequently, in the articles substantive core, I focus entirely on what Mill refers to as the “moral coercion of public opinion”. Here I address matters which I take to underexplored in the literature, namely some difficulties that arise for Mill´s treatment in connection with our ordinary notions concerning politeness and social avoidance. Though the problem of avoidance has been addressed by Dan Threet and John Dilulio, among others, I believe that my approach to the problems created by Mills take on politeness is entirely original with me. Considering the foregoing, I propose adding two supplementary clauses to the Harm Principle. I conclude by presenting a modern statement of said principle.