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John Stuart Mill

1806 - 1873

John Stuart Mill was a major defender of liberty and utilitarian thought.

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John Stuart Mill was one of the most influential nineteenth-century philosophers, known for his work on individual liberty, representative government, and utilitarian ethics.

Harm Principle

The principle that states that no legitimate interference with an individual’s freedom is permissible except to prevent harm to others.

Liberty Principle

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.

Individual Liberty

The freedom of the individual to choose a personal life plan, to act, and to express his or her thoughts.

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory that evaluates the moral rightness of actions according to their consequences for overall happiness.

Liberty of Expression

The freedom to articulate and debate ideas; a fundamental safeguard against the tyranny of the majority and claims of infallibility.

Self-regarding vs. Other-regarding Conduct

The distinction between actions that affect only the person performing them and actions that affect the interests of others.

Tyranny of the Majority

The tendency of a democratic majority to suppress the freedom of minorities and alternative ways of life.

Paternalism

An approach that advocates interfering with an individual’s freedom against his or her will for that person’s own good.

Greatest Happiness Principle

The principle that the standard of moral evaluation is the promotion of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Happiness

The ultimate end of human action and the fundamental criterion of morality, understood as a state of pleasure and the absence of pain.

Quality of Pleasures

The view that pleasures should be evaluated morally not only according to their quantity but also according to their kind and their status as “higher” or “lower” pleasures.

Justice

A moral and political principle defined through the protection of rights, equal respect for persons, and the fair distribution of benefits.

General vs. Individual Happiness

The relationship between the happiness of individual persons and the overall happiness of society.

Moral Rules and Principles

A system of moral rules that is designed to maximize overall utility and that governs general patterns of conduct rather than evaluating each individual action in isolation.

Individuality

The capacity of the individual to develop a unique character and to shape his or her own way of life through experimentation.

Experiments in Living

The practice by which individuals freely explore different ways of life, thereby generating knowledge and value both for themselves and for society.

Character Formation

The process through which individuals’ habits, dispositions, and sentiments are cultivated in ways that promote happiness.

Care

A sustained and responsible concern for the well-being of others, functioning as an organizing ethos within Mill’s liberal utilitarianism.

Relational Liberty

The view that liberty should be understood not merely as the absence of interference but also in relation to an individual’s position within social relationships and institutions.

Public Good and Public Health

The collective interests of society’s overall welfare, particularly in areas such as public health, where they may come into tension with individual liberty.