Passage (John Stuart Mill, *On Liberty*, 1859, Ch. II): "But I deny the right of the people to exercise such coercion, either by themselves or by their government. The power itself is illegitimate. The best government has no more title to it than the worst. It is as noxious, or more noxious, when exerted in accordance with public opinion, than when in opposition to it. 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. Were an opinion a personal possession of no value except to the owner; if to be obstructed in the enjoyment of it were simply a private injury, it would make some difference whether the injury was inflicted only on a few persons or on many. But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error." Mill introduces the hypothetical of "all mankind minus one" primarily in order to:
Aconcede that majority rule has special legitimacy in moral questions.
Billustrate that even widespread opinions can be mistaken.
Cshow that the case against suppression does not depend on the number of dissenters.
Ddramatize the loneliness of holding an unpopular view.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. show that the case against suppression does not depend on the number of dissenters.
Mill picks the most extreme possible imbalance — one against everyone — to make a structural point: even when the suppressor has the maximum numerical authority and the dissenter the minimum, the analogy between the two cases is **symmetric** ("mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind"). The function is to show the principle holds *regardless of numbers*.
- **A** is the reverse of Mill's point — he refuses to grant majorities any special title.
- **C** is true elsewhere in *On Liberty* but it is not what this *particular* hypothetical is doing — the hypothetical works even if the majority opinion *is* correct.
- **D** is a sentimental reading that ignores the logical work the example performs.
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