Key Ideas
1. Liberty concerns social power
Mill examines legitimate coercion by government and public opinion.
2. Majorities can be tyrannical
Democratic rule does not guarantee protection for minorities or dissenters.
3. Harm is the central limit
Coercion is justified to prevent injury to others, not simply to improve an adult’s own life.
4. Individuals are sovereign over themselves
Competent adults retain authority over their own bodies, minds and plans.
5. Suppression assumes infallibility
Silencing a view treats present judgement as incapable of error.
6. A dissenting opinion may be true
Numerical agreement cannot determine truth.
7. False opinions can serve truth
Challenge prevents correct doctrine from becoming an unexamined formula.
8. Opposing views may contain partial truths
Open conflict can reveal a more complete position than either side possesses alone.
9. Individuality belongs to well-being
A developed character requires active choice rather than mechanical conformity.
10. Choice exercises human faculties
Judgement and self-command grow through use.
11. Diversity produces knowledge
Experiments in living reveal possibilities unavailable under uniform custom.
12. Offence is not necessarily harm
Moral dislike alone does not create authority to punish.
13. Conduct affecting others creates duties
Rights, safety and fair social burdens justify accountability.
14. Advice differs from compulsion
People may warn and persuade without assuming control over another person’s life.
15. Liberty allows appropriate safeguards
Warnings and anti-fraud rules can protect informed choice.
16. Centralisation can weaken citizens
Voluntary and local action cultivate practical independence.