The Souls of Black Folk is a collection of essays that discuss issues of social justice, race in America, and the Black experience. On Liberty asserts a similar, yet different argument of the significance of freedom, diversity, and individuality within American society.
Du Bois covers themes and symbols of double consciousness, the color line, and the symbolic veil that black and white people constantly wear to explain the barriers in place in American society that have ultimately prevented society from reaching the truth. In contrast, Mill places this blame on the individual tendency to stand too attached to our own perspective and the human unwillingness to put consideration into viewpoints that contradict our own.
According to Du Bois, society has failed to reach the truth because it has forbidden African Americans to have a chance at vocalizing their stance in the conversation in many ways. One of Du Bois’s arguments in justifying why society reached the truth is directly correlated to the color line.
Du Bois claims in The Souls of Black Folk, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line”. This implies the weight of the stark line separating black people and white people. This metaphoric “line” refers to the systemic cage black people are inherited into that has created social and economic disproportions that limit black communities from pursuing their greatest capabilities.
Du Bois’s argument is that the longer society groups and separates communities onto sides of a “line”, the longer society is limited to solely the knowledge of those that currently acquire privilege. He argues that in order for society to reach its utmost potential, certain walls and barriers such as racism and systemic disunion must come down. He believes the key to conquering the issue of lack of access to reaching our fullest potential is through full devotion to becoming educated and breaking down systemic barriers that separate society.
Du Bois states in his book, “The negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world, – a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world”. Here, Du Bois expresses that black people inevitably are forced to see themselves through the lens of white people because they exist in a system where they are forced to be hyperaware of the way they are being perceived.
Du Bois believes that because black people do not have the luxury of seeing themselves through their own reflection, the systemic barrier that is referred to as a “veil” is holding society back from obtaining the truth.
This implies that one must understand and see themselves to appreciate and grasp the diversity of the human experience. This denial of complexity and richness that exists within African Americans and is being suppressed, ultimately, is limiting society’s ability to grow and prosper in ways that cannot be imagined.
Du Bois further emphasizes that a significant part of being able to reach the truth is through education with hard work and dedication.
He goes on to say, “The function of the university is not simply to teach bread-winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a center of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization”.
Du Bois’s belief that education has the power to provide society with the skills needed to achieve the reality of the truth sponsors his claim that lack of education for all races and equality in society concerning education is ultimately holding society back. The weight of education that Du Bois refers to holds the “secrets of civilization”. This is why Du Bois encourages everyone to gain an education, importantly black people, because of the perspective and new realm of knowledge he is speaking about that has yet to be unlocked.
In contrast, John Stuart Mill argues that society has failed to reach the truth because society has become too obstinate with individual opinions, and has limited human knowledge and understanding. He states in On Liberty, “The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race …the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error”. Mill suggests that pushing aside certain opinions without giving each thought of each person a chance, is greatly harming society because it is limiting and silencing potential opportunities to learn the truth. Mill believes right and wrong opinions are both crucial for society because suppressing them prevents potentially useful ideas from being explored and noticed. Society ultimately risks losing out on treasurable debates and challenging thoughts that could possibly lead to discovering the truth. Furthermore, Mill suggests that ignorance is also transparent when people within a certain group are silenced for their ideological framework. Mill says, “All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility”. He makes note of the human ego that takes over when those who desire to contribute to society are silenced for no good reason.
He believes humans assume they are always correct and ultimately “infallible” in comparison to any contradicting way of thought someone else might have. Mill goes on to say, “Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due study and preparation, thinks for himself, than by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think”. Mill is highlighting how important originality and unique perspective is to the pursuit of truth. Mill argues that the very liberation of all members of society is free to share their ideas and strengthens the process of reaching the truth and progression as a whole. Mill’s constant encouragement of debate shows that refuting opinions and challenging each other are what is central to arriving at the ultimate destination of the truth.
W.E.B. Du Bois and John Stuart Mill both argue that reaching the truth calls for whole societal inclusion in terms of outlook, knowledge, and opinion. Both philosophies are similar in that they require inclusivity and the power of collectivism and working together as a society. However, while Du Bois centralizes his argument on undoing past systemic issues pertaining to racism and slavery, Mill highlights the limitations of knowledge and mutual openness and understanding. Moreover, Du Bois’s emphasis in this argument is on the ways society should change socially and politically, while Mill’s argument lies within the philosophical and intellectual realm of thinking.