On Liberty: Freedom, Tyranny, and the Fight for the Rights of the Individual by John Stuart Mill

On Liberty: John Stuart Mill’s 1859 Political Philosophy Essay - Unabridged & Authentic Individual freedom, social pressure, and one of the most powerful arguments ever written against the tyranny of the majority. In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill asks one urgent question: when may society rightfully limit the freedom of an individual? His answer is one of the defining statements of modern liberal thought. Power may be used against a person’s will only to prevent harm to others, not merely because their choices are unpopular, offensive, unusual, or disapproved by the majority. Mill’s argument reaches beyond government alone. He warns that society itself can become tyrannical through custom, opinion, pressure, and moral conformity. Against that danger, he defends individuality, free discussion, unpopular opinions, experiments in living, and the right of each person to develop their own mind and character. What You’ll Experience The classic harm principle: Mill’s central argument defines when power may and may not be used to restrict individual liberty. Read more