Human intelligence is always one-sided [J.S. Mill, 'On Liberty']
Human intelligence is
usually one-sided,
and multi-faceted only by exception.
Here, Mill argues that the opinion generally dominant in society is often nothing more than a fragment of the truth and is extremely one-sided.
Since democratic opinion is based on the principle of majority rule, minority opinions are excluded.
Heretical opinions are, generally speaking, some of the truths that have been suppressed and ignored, which break through the bonds placed upon them.
Such truths either demand to be recognized alongside the truths contained in general opinion, or they confront general opinion (the opinion of the dominant majority) as an enemy, insisting on themselves as the whole truth in an equally exclusive manner.
He is pointing out that even if minority opinions are suppressed and bound by what is called 'the tyranny of the majority,' they will eventually break through and surface, becoming a presence that cannot be ignored.
He is saying that people, whether they are in the minority or the majority, make exclusive self-assertions as if they possess the whole truth, despite only having one side of it.
Everyone tends to think that things 'progress' as times change.
However, Mill says, 'That is merely a change in partial truths.' In other words, he is pointing out that there is no evolution in 'one-sidedness' itself.
Even progress, which should be the addition of new truths to previous ones, in most cases amounts to nothing more than one partial and incomplete truth being replaced by another partial and incomplete truth.
Even if we say it has improved, it usually just means that compared to the fragment of truth being forced out by the new fragment, the new fragment is in higher demand and better suited to the needs of the times.
This phenomenon may be particularly prominent in the worlds of business and cutting-edge science.
We often see cases where people speak as if they have obtained an eternal, immortal, and comprehensive truth, saying things like,
'I have shifted the paradigm of the era' or
'I have entered the top 10 billionaires in the world.'
Whether something just happened to meet the trendy needs of the modern day or whether it is something universal that is not, we will not know until much later.
Even if one rides the tide of the times and builds a massive fortune, that alone will not be enough to be truly valued.
This is because the issue becomes how one utilizes the assets they have built and how they have contributed to society.
John D. Rockefeller was known as the world's richest man, but he was also the world's greatest philanthropist.
Mr. Inamori of Kyocera, who passed away recently, also established an international award called the 'Kyoto Prize' at the time of its founding, investing 20 billion yen of his personal assets with the wish to 'contribute even a little to the progress and development of humanity' for those who have 'contributed significantly to the development of human science, the development of civilization, and the deepening and elevation of the human spirit.'
People who have achieved such notable accomplishments in history all engage in 'altruistic behavior' without exception.
The ability to make money is only one side of the intelligence a person possesses.
The problem is how one uses that money; making money is not everything.
If one ends up with selfish mammonism, they will likely only be called a slave to money.
In that case, one must say that they are severely lacking in human character and dignity.
If one is satisfied with just making a profit while converting everything into numbers and relying on data and statistics, one cannot be said to have grasped the 'whole of intelligence.'
No matter how massive the data handled becomes, one must recognize that it is forever only 'one side of intelligence.'
However, it might be good to keep in mind that thinking of this as the whole of intelligence is precisely what constitutes 'exclusive self-assertion,' and it represents the incomplete self-righteousness that people possess.
People are required to always look at things humbly and think about them in a multi-faceted way.