On liberty (1st edition.)

In his wonderfully clear and cogent essay 'On Liberty', Mill contends that individuals should be as free as possible from interference by government.

Proposing that individual fulfilment is the surest route to collective happiness, he argues passionately against the 'tyranny of the majority,' and sets out to create an alternative view of a practical politics that sets proper limits on the powers of government and society.

The result, Mill argues, will be not only greater freedom, but also improved social progress.

He reached these conclusions by re-interpreting a large body of existing political and philosophical thought - introducing insights drawn from several different schools of thought, and thereby creating an unparalleled defense of classic liberal principals.