On Liberty brilliantly defines the ideal balance of individual rights and the power of the state. The philosopher Bertrand Russell declared, "On Liberty remains a classic. . . . The present world would be better than it is, if Mill's] principles were more respected." The book remains one of the seminal works of political theory in our culture.

John Stuart Mill, (20 May 1806 - 8 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist and civil servant. He was an influential contributor to social theory, political theory and political economy. He has been called "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century." Mill's conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham. Hoping to remedy the problems found in an inductive approach to science, such as confirmation bias,...