John Stuart Mill's classic has at its heart a brave (some might say Quixotic) attempt to define both the constraints on individual freedom, and the degree of coercion governments may legitimately use to limit that freedom. His solution is a "very simple principle" - that one may coerce only to defend oneself or others from harm. This deceptively straightforward axiom has deep social consequences - it would, for example, ban all government intervention to make populations behave 'better'. The resulting ramifications have been argued over by social scientists for more than 150 years, and never more so than in modern times.
John Stuart Mill's classic has at its heart a brave (some might say Quixotic) attempt to define both the constraints on individual freedom, and the degree of coercion governments may legitimately use to limit that freedom. His solution is a "very simple principle" - that one may coerce only to defend oneself or others from harm. This deceptively straightforward axiom has deep social consequences - it would, for example, ban all government intervention to make populations behave 'better'. The resulting ramifications have been argued over by social scientists for more than 150 years, and never more so than in modern times.
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John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP), and civil servant who lived from 20 May 1806 to 7 May 1873. He was one of the most significant intellectuals in the development of classical liberalism. The utilitarian movement was started by John Stuart Mill. Being a particularly bright youngster, he was able to read six Plato dialogues and Aesop's Fables by the age of eight. Jeremy Bentham and Francis Place provided guidance and support as John Stuart's father schooled him. At the age of eight, Mill started studying Latin, algebra, and Euclid classes. He liked to read Robinson Crusoe and Don Quixote in his free time. Along with his father, he studied David Ricardo and Adam Smith. He was deeply affected by the vibrant and welcoming culture of France. Mill was inspired to reject Bentham's theory of human nature by his correspondence with Auguste Comte. After 21 years of close friendship with Harriet Taylor, Mill wed her on April 21, 1851. After barely seven years of marriage and after experiencing acute lung congestion, she died in 1858. Thirteen days before his 67th birthday in 1873, Mill passed away from erysipelas in Avignon, France; he was buried next to his wife.
