John Stuart Mill

This volume gathers, for the first time, Mill’s most important writings from across his long career on one of the principal subjects of his life: the nature and reform of representative government. By doing so, it sheds new light on Mill’s views about democracy, constitutional structure, parliamentary government, class conflict, the relation between elites and the people, and many other key themes of his political thought. It includes an extensive original Introduction situating Mill’s work in the context of the politics of nineteenth-century Britain, and connects his thought to questions that still confront liberal states today.

First published in 1859, On Liberty is a landmark work of political philosophy that challenges the limits of social and governmental authority over the individual. Writing in the context of Victorian England, John Stuart Mill confronts what he terms the 'tyranny of the majority, ' arguing that social pressure can be as oppressive as state power. At the heart of the book lies the celebrated Harm Principle: individuals are free to act as they wish provided they do not harm others. Mill defends moral and economic freedom, insisting on personal sovereignty over one's body and mind, and positions liberty as essential to intellectual and social progress. Concise yet profound, this influential essay remains foundational to liberal thought and continues to shape debates about freedom, authority, and the boundaries of collective power.