Philosophy 2: Society and Values  

Pierce College

Department of History, Philosophy, & Sociology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group Exercise for Mill's Principle of Harm Through the Lens of Different Types of Pain      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Notes on the importance of group exercises.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Purpose

 

The purpose of this group exercise is to come up with a list of harms so that when it comes time to write an essay about Mill's "On Liberty," you will have some foundation for it. 

 

List:

 

a) base pain that would amount to a harm (and thus would require governmental interference);

b) base pain that would not amount to a harm (and thus would not require governmental interference);

c) intellectual pain that would amount to a harm (and thus would require governmental interference); and 

d) intellectual pain that would not amount to a harm (and thus would not require governmental interference).  

 

Be prepared to present your group's finding to the class. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Work

 

1) Get into your groups. 

 

2) Craft the list of harms:

a) base pain that would amount to a harm (and thus would require governmental interference);

b) base pain that would not amount to a harm (and thus would not require governmental interference);

c) intellectual pain that would amount to a harm (and thus would require governmental interference); and 

d) intellectual pain that would not amount to a harm (and thus would not require governmental interference).  

 

3) Prepare brief explanations for each harm to answer a naysayer who could disagree with you. 

 

4) Present your group's finding to the class.