Synopsis
A defense of individuality, free speech, experiments in living, and limits on coercion by both the state and public opinion.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Public domainOver their own body and mind, the individual is sovereign, and others may not coerce them merely because they disapprove.
This is the liberal instinct in its clearest form: people should not be controlled simply because others think they are wrong.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France.
Reading note
Read the harm principle carefully, noting how Mill guards liberty against majority opinion as much as the state.
Best paired with
Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France