Ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion
“
He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side; if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion.
— John Stuart Mill
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side; if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion." in the context of "Ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Stuart Mill" (Quotes, On Liberty (1859))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.
About John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.
View all quotes →