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On Liberty

John Stuart Mill · 1859

Mill's 1859 essay defending individual liberty and free speech against state power and the tyranny of the majority.

Mill's own essay, published under his name, setting out his most famous political ideas.

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Title page of the 1859 first edition of On Liberty. Text reads: ON LIBERTY, BY JOHN STUART MILL. Below: LONDON: JOHN W. PARKER AND SON, WEST STRAND, and the date M.DCCC.LIX in small capitals. Cream-colored paper.
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859. Title page scan from a 1974 facsimile.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of the 1859 first edition of On Liberty, an essay published under the name of John Stuart Mill. It was printed in London by John W. Parker and Son.

Mill himself said the work was jointly produced with his wife, Harriet Taylor Mill, who died shortly before it was finished.

Why it matters

The essay sets out the 'harm principle': that people should be free to act as they wish unless they harm others. It argues against both government interference and the pressure of public opinion, calling the latter the 'tyranny of the majority'. It became one of the most influential works in the history of political thought and still shapes debates about free speech today.

Look closer

  • Why might Mill have published the essay under his name alone, even though he said it was a joint work with Harriet Taylor Mill?
  • What does Mill mean by 'tyranny of the majority', and why did he think it was more dangerous than a tyrant king?
  • How might this argument apply to debates about free speech today?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Stuart Mill on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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