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“Protection against the tyranny of the magistrate is not enough”

John Stuart Mill

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Simplified Meaning:

Simply keeping government officials from being too powerful isn't sufficient. Imagine if everyone in a neighborhood hires a security guard to keep the streets safe, but the guard starts making all the rules and invading everyone's privacy. Even if he’s making sure no crimes happen, the people lose their freedom. Just like in a society, it’s good to protect everyone from the government becoming too controlling, but there also needs to be balanced freedom where individuals can make their own choices. For example, having a police force is great to keep order, but they should not be allowed to tell people how to live their day-to-day lives. So, it’s important not just to keep the authorities in check but also to ensure personal freedoms are respected. This way, everyone can live without fear and with the liberty to make personal decisions.

Related tags
Authority Civil rights Democracy Freedom Government Human rights Justice Law Liberty Oppression
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