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On Liberty (Version 2)

John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill is an essay about individual freedom and its limits. Mill argues that people should be free to think, speak, and act as they wish, as long as they don’t harm others. He believes this freedom leads to progress and happiness. Governments and society shouldn’t control people’s choices unless those choices hurt someone else. On Liberty is pertinent to contemporary debates about free speech, personal rights, and social control and so retains its relevance, perhaps more urgently than ever. Mill’s work is key to a proper understanding of the balance between freedom and responsibility, in a world where the exercise of power and the use of new technologies threaten liberty around the world. (Summary by Bryn Roberts)

Genre(s): Political Science

Language: English

Keyword(s): freedom (28), democracy (17), human rights (10), political theory (5), free speech (4), civil liberties (3), philosophy; (1)