John Stuart Mill had higher criteria than mere harm. The words spoken in the French revolution lead directly to the deaths of nobility. The fact they lead dir

John Stuart Mill had higher criteria than mere harm. The words spoken in the French revolution lead directly to the deaths of nobility. The fact they lead directly to the harming of individuals did not mean they should not have been spoken. The words spoken at a trial may directly lead to the imprisonment of the accused, should those words too not be spoken due to the harm they cause the accused? The classical line has been at incitement. It understands that humans are prone to irrationality in the heat of anger. But outside of that it is understood that some harm may be necessary for justice or other ideals to be served. Speech is the mechanism we use to weigh the costs of our actions.