The Core Blog

Below are the questions for session 2. Feel free to discuss them before and after class in the comments section

(1) Mill associates individuality with our inborn potential for natural genius, while Tocqueville at times associates it with aristocratic distinction. Where does individuality "come from," in your view?

(2) Mill cites Tocqueville's idea of the "tyranny of the majority." Do you think Tocqueville portrays it any differently in his book?

(3) The clearest difference between the two thinkers is in how exactly they propose to stave off conformity. Unlike Mill, who emphasizes limits to state power, Tocqueville offers a list of institutions that might help keep us free and save us from mediocrity. How can we make sense of his list, and is it persuasive? Is Tocqueville right that there are alternatives to simply limiting the state and hoping -- with Mill -- that individuality will take care of itself?