Furthermore, he opens the door to
the idea that by relinquishing
societal bonds, the individual will discover progress can be a lonely and
miserable experience. Matthew Arnold walks right through
Browning’s door, arguing that changes,
caused by the belief solely in continual progress, separates the individual
from the cultural bonds of the past.
By eradicating
long established societal bonds, such as Christianity, the individual will become
disconnected from his or her society. Eventually, after
discovering that one is alienated from everyone else, the individual will
view the world as having, “neither joy, nor love, nor certitude, nor peace,
nor help for pain;…a darkling plain….” In Mill’s critique On Liberty he argues there is a problem in England. The problem is, “individuals are lost in
the crowd.” The individual has become a
slave bound by chains to customary institutions
of the past. Although Mill does acknowledge the past has given man a certain
insight, he does not view the past as a necessary ingredient in future innovations.