Açıklama
The political and moral principle that maintains that there exists a broad sphere of individual freedom that may be restricted only on the grounds of preventing harm to others. This principle is based on the idea of “the sovereignty of mature, rational individuals over matters that concern themselves”; within this sphere, the individual is accountable only to himself or herself. According to Mill, intervention by the state or society in this domain is objectionable both morally and in terms of its practical consequences; moreover, the general utilitarian principle is assumed, as a rule, to support liberty. Thus, the liberty principle formulates liberalism’s “presumption against interference.”