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  • On Liberty
    On Liberty
    noun
    a treatise (1859) by John Stuart Mill on the rights of the individual within the state.
  • “On Liberty”
    “On Liberty”
    (1859) An essay by John Stuart Mill in defense of the liberal idea of political freedom. Mill takes a firm position that the state may interfere with the freedom of individuals only to protect other individuals; the person's “own good” is not a sufficient reason.

On Liberty

American  

noun

  1. a treatise (1859) by John Stuart Mill on the rights of the individual within the state.


“On Liberty” Cultural  
  1. (1859) An essay by John Stuart Mill in defense of the liberal idea of political freedom. Mill takes a firm position that the state may interfere with the freedom of individuals only to protect other individuals; the person's “own good” is not a sufficient reason.


Example Sentences

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John Stuart Mill’s work On Liberty popularized and adapted this idea so that it could be implemented within representative governments.

From Textbooks Jun. 15, 2022

In his philosophical treatise "On Liberty," Mill notes that action cannot be as free as speech.

From Salon Jan. 18, 2021

Mill, also an MP and economist, is best known for his essay, On Liberty.

From BBC Apr. 30, 2018

“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others,” he wrote in On Liberty.

From Economist Oct. 12, 2017

The author, who in his Autobiography speaks with exquisite modesty of all his literary performances, allows himself one single exception when speaking of his Essay "On Liberty."

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, November 1879 by Various

At one point, Olof and Elizabeth read Plato’s Republic and Mill’s “On Liberty” together.

From The New Yorker Dec. 31, 2018

She found herself quoting John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” to students, preaching about the importance of differing views in a democracy.

From Washington Post Oct. 17, 2016

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