All Minus One: John Stuart Mill's Ideas on Free Speech Illustrated

I LOVE the graphics in this book - they are phenomenal! And I love the idea of making John Stuart Mill more accessible to younger readers. However, if that was the goal, I see a wonderful effort that falls way short.Simply put - John Stuart Mill is very difficult to read. His sentences are very long, wordy and quite unconventional by today's standards. The authors would have done better with this work if they had paraphrased John Stuart Mill, and put his ideas into today's language.Initially I had hoped to buy multiple copies of this book to give to friends, and high school and college graduates whom I know. I won't be buying copies and giving them to anybody - no matter how much education they have had: The text is too un-enjoyable and too tedious to read. I think very few High School and College students given the book will "see it through".Now I am interested in furthering my learning, especially about Freedom of Speech and the origin and legacy of our freedoms. So I will push my way through, since I feel obligated to become familiar with John Stuart Mill. But I must say, I find myself re-reading nearly every paragraph to try and make sure I understand what is being said. Rarely am I finding a paragraph that can be read and understood without re-reading. Maybe I am just not as smart or as dedicated as all the youth this work was created for!

If you're like me you found this book through Jonathan Haidt's appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. The podcast was great but I can't say I found Haidt's description of the book to be entirely accurate.I was expecting Mill's work in a more digestible, modern writing style--"more accessible" as it reads in the book's description. Sure, this book is shorter than Mill's original work but it's not what I would call "easy to read" as Haidt mentioned on the podcast.Take this passage for example: "The steady habit of correcting and completing his own opinion by collating it with those of others, so far from causing doubt and hesitation in carrying it into practice, is the only stable foundation for a just reliance on it: for, being cognisant of all that can, at least obviously, be said against him, and having taken up his position against all gainsayers—knowing that he has sought for objections and difficulties, instead of avoiding them, and has shut out no light which can be thrown upon the subject from any quarter—he has a right to think his judgment better than that of any person, or any multitude, who have not gone through a similar process."That's one sentence. Going in, I was expecting Mill's words rewritten in a way that would be a casual read for today's reader. Instead, and I only realized this about halfway through the book, you're just getting a smaller condensed version of Mill's original work. As far as I know, nothing has been rewritten at all.If you're like me, many sections in this book will require you to read them multiple times. That doesn't mean the book is bad, it's just not what I'd call "easy to read".I guess I can't complain too much. The text is available online for free. But I did buy the book and to be honest I was expecting a little more from it so I'm only taking away one star from my review.

I like/love everything about this little gem except the binding. It's so tight that if you try to open it all the way you're definitely gonna crack the spine. The publisher should have charged a couple of bucks more and improved the binding to something closer to lay-flat.

I appreciate Jonathan Haidt for promoting this via his interview with Jordan Peterson.Are there more important arguments than John Stuart Mill's on freedom of speech in the time of identity politics, when people hold dead dogmatic views and no longer think but rather shun dissenting opinion outright as heresy? With so much of the public discourse couched in hateful rhetoric, the freedom to speak (think) freely has become unwelcome and offensive. Painstakingly learning your opponent's view, as it is correctly understood, is something we can all strive for as we seek greater living truth.As Haidt has stated, this is a great teaching tool for high schools to bring to the next generation the importance of free speech. I would have to agree.I also love the powerful imagery that accompanies the text - really well done!

A nice and gentle introduction to Mill.

Haven't dealt with JSM for awhile. But I enjoyed it. Makes me want to talk, seriously, with my grand children.

These timeless truths about free speech and the free exchange of ideas is never more relevant than today.

This books brings forth Mill’s ideas in an easy to consume version. His guidance should be required reading for everyone involved in Social Media: the executives; the writers and the readers.“However true [your belief] may be, if it is not fully, frequently, and fearlessly discussed, it will be as dead dogma, not a living truth.”

The original JSM essay is powerful, and relevant to today - and undoubtedly is clarified and sharpened by this edit.