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John Stuart Mill: On Liberty--An enormously influential Victorian classic which introduced the concepts of the "Harm Principle" and "Tyranny of the Majority"
John Stuart Mill On Liberty--An enormously influential Victorian classic which introduced the concepts of the Harm Principle and Tyranny of the Majority Author:John Stuart Mill "On Liberty," a philosophical work by English philosopher John Stuart Mill, was a radical work to the Victorian readers of the time because it supported moral and economic freedom of individuals from the state. Perhaps the most memorable point made by John Stuart Mill in "On Liberty," and his basis for liberty, is that "over himself, over his ow... more »n body and mind, the individual is sovereign". John Stuart Mill makes this assertion in opposition to what he calls the "tyranny of the majority", wherein through control of etiquette and morality, society is an unelected power that can do horrific things. Mill's work could be considered a reaction to this social control by the majority and his advocacy of individual decision-making over the self. John Stuart Mill also articulates the famous "Harm Principle" in "On Liberty," which is basically that people can do anything they like as long as it does not harm others. All branches of liberalism-as well as other political ideologies-consider the "Harm Principle" to be one of their core principles. "On Liberty" was an enormously influential work; the ideas presented in the book have remained the basis of much liberal political thought ever since. Aside from the popularity of the ideas themselves, the book is quite short and its themes are easily accessible to a non-expert. It has remained in print continuously since its initial publication. To this day, a copy of On Liberty has been passed to the president of the British Liberals, and then Liberal Democrats, as a symbol of office and succession from the party that John Stuart Mill helped found.« less