ABSTRACT

This essay analyzes John Stuart Mill's conception of liberty in the context of modern culture. It makes the case that Mill's "Harm Principle" in large part lays the basis for the development of positive social relationships and a peaceful way of life, as well as the improvement of arrangements meant to bind the many parts of an already split and fractured society together. The "Harm Principle" is a result of Mill's theory of liberty, which is outlined in his renowned essay On Liberty and is a crucial component of it. As a result, the work at hand in this essay entails both a critical analysis of Mill's "Harm principle" and the identification of specific social interactions (such as the sociopolitical relations that exist in Nigeria and the inter-group relations that exist among religious groups), where this idea may be used to promote societal peace. Since the issues are in our surrounding area (Nigeria) have aroused our interest in using Mills Harm's principle, instances of our analysis of ill social relationships from Nigeria, which represents various societies, are taken. However, this effort does not assert that such a theory is limitless or that its use would be problematic without specific constraints. In light of this, the work offers to determine the boundaries of how far the Harm principle may be employed in regulating human behavior.