On Liberty

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On Liberty (1859) is a philosophical work by British philosopher John Stuart Mill. It was a radical work to the Victorian readers of the time because it supported individuals' moral and economic freedom from the state.

Perhaps the most memorable point made by Mill in this work, and his basis for liberty, is that "over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign".

On Liberty was an enormously influential work; the ideas presented in the book have remained the basis of much liberal political thought ever since. Aside from the popularity of the ideas themselves, the book is quite short and its themes are easily accessible to a non-expert. It has remained in print continuously since its initial publication. To this day, a copy of On Liberty has been passed to the president of the British Liberals, and then Liberal Democrats, as a symbol of office and succession from the party that Mill helped found.

John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806-8 May 1873) was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's. Hoping to remedy the problems found in an inductive approach to science, such as confirmation bias, he clearly set forth the premises of falsification as the key component in the scientific method. Mill was also a Member of Parliament and an important figure in liberal political philosophy.

His best known works include Thoughts on Parliamentary Reforms (1859), Representative Government (1861), The Irish Land Question (1870) and The Subjection of Women (1869).

To the beloved and deplored memory of her who was the inspirer, and in part the author, of all that is best in my writings-the friend and wife whose exalted sense of truth and right was my strongest incitement, and whose approbation was my chief reward-I dedicate this volume. Like all that I have written for many years, it belongs as much to her as to me; but the work as it stands has had, in a very insufficient degree, the inestimable advantage of her revision; some of the most important portions having been reserved for a more careful reexamination, which they are now never destined to receive. Were I but capable of intepreting to the world one half the great thoughts and noble feelings which are buried in her grave. I should be the medium of a greather benefit to it. than is ever likely to arise from anything that I can write, unprompted and unassisted by her all but unrivalled wisdom.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages