John Stuart Mill on silencing dissenting opinions - Windows on Humanity

Modern liberalism is a totalitarian ideology because the opposite is liberty as envisioned as coming from natural law...

It is a natural tendency of all humans to enjoy consensus and see it as a normal situation. A person who disturbs consensus is all too easily seen as a nuisance. However, most things in life can be seen from different angles and in a different light. Dissident is, in fact, one of the most important assets that an open society and democracy in general need to survive in the long run.

Even the most benevolent and useful ideas can turn into monsters if they are left to grow for a too long time in an echo-chamber that totally lacks any dissenting voices. The phenomena is most prevalent among the totalitarian ideologies. However, any idea or ideology can grow to grotesque forms if its followers do not allow any kind of critical voices to be heard.

John Stuart Mill on silencing dissenting opinions - Windows on Humanity