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On Liberty

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The 1859 essay "On Liberty" was written by both Harriet Taylor Mill and John Stuart Mill, though it was initially released only under John Stuart Mill's name.[1] Within the work, the authors' utilitarian ethical framework was used to examine the connection between authority and individual liberty.[1] Since its first publication, the book has never gone out of print.[2]

Making and release

Mill stated he made no alterations after her death and published it under his name alone, consecrating it to her memory.[3] In 2026, a Hackett edition added Harriet Taylor's name as co-author.[4] This followed a 2022 stylometric analysis suggesting many passages were directly authored by her.[4] Mill's own repeated acknowledgements of his wife's contribution form the strongest case for joint-authorship.[5]

Mill wrote that the work "belongs as much to her as to me".[5] The essay was influenced by Wilhelm von Humboldt's work titled "On the Limits of State Action."[6] Along with "Utilitarianism," "On Liberty" ranks as one of Mill's two most significant works.[6] According to the Hackett edition editors, stylometric analysis permits stating "with some degree of confidence" that Mill did not write the essay alone.[5]

What the cited sources add

Ebeling's 2001 essay calls it "one of the most enduring and powerful defenses of individual freedom ever penned"[7] Ebeling notes that classical liberals and libertarians have pointed out vagueness in how Mill defines the arena for individual freedom.[7] The Five Books review states the exploration of personal liberty "still feels incredibly contemporary"[8] The same review notes the book remains central to the modern liberal tradition.[8]

The Hackett edition's description calls it "the greatest plea for individual intellectual freedom ever penned".[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "On Liberty" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mill, "On Liberty", Hackett Publishing; Mill, "On Liberty", John W.Parker & Son, 1860; Mill, "On Liberty", Longman, Green, Longman Roberts & Green, 1864 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "On Liberty" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Books, "On Liberty Five Books Expert Reviews", Five Books (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "On Liberty" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mill "Autobiography" 1873; Wilson 2007, section: Life; Mill "Autobiography" 1873 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "On Liberty" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schmidt-Petri, "Who Authored On Liberty? Stylometric Evidence on Harriet Taylor Mill's Contribution", Utilitas, June 2022, p. 120–138; Thorpe, "After 150 years, John Stuart Mill's wife gets credit for role in political opus", The Observer (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Thorpe, "After 150 years, John Stuart Mill's wife gets credit for role in political opus", The Observer. facts only, no text reused. observer.co.uk
  6. Wikipedia, "On Liberty" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mill "Autobiography" 1873; Mill 1859, pp. , 143–44, 150, 164; Wilson 2007, section: Life (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Ebeling, "John Stuart Mill and the Three Dangers to Liberty", The Future of Freedom Foundation, 2001-06-01. facts only, no text reused. fff.org
  8. Books, "On Liberty Five Books Expert Reviews", Five Books. facts only, no text reused. fivebooks.com
  9. Mill, "On Liberty", Hackett Publishing. facts only, no text reused. hackettpublishing.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article On Liberty (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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