On Liberty
Assigned by 5 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1859
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOn LibertyHackett, 1978Elizabeth Rapaport's edition is cheap, well annotated and the one most courses assign.
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Mill argues that the only purpose for which power may rightly be used against an adult against his will is to prevent harm to others. He defends complete freedom of thought and discussion on the grounds that a silenced opinion may be true, may be partly true, or may keep a true opinion from hardening into dead dogma. He then defends individuality and experiments in living against the pressure of custom and public opinion, and works out where the principle stops: no liberty to harm, and no liberty for children.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On Liberty are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
