On Liberty

At the time it was published in 1859, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty was a radical and controversial work; it argued for the right of individuals to possess freedom from the state in moral and economic matters. Mill declares that &quote;Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign&quote;, contrasting this with the &quote;tyranny of the majority.&quote; He states that an individual can do anything they like as long as it doesn't harm another - the well-known &quote;harm principle&quote;. On Liberty had a huge impact and has remained a relevant philosophical and political text today.