- 01Mrs. Taylor's influence on Mill's career
- 02Marriage, loss, and memorial tribute
- 03Interpreting the Mill-Taylor partnership
On Liberty
by John Stuart Mill · 1859 · 8 chapters · 24/7 tutor
Individual freedom, harm, and social authority.
8Chapters
50Lessons
104Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Explain Mill's core argument for individual liberty against social and state authority
- Analyze the harm principle and distinguish self-regarding from other-regarding conduct
- Evaluate arguments for freedom of thought and discussion, including the case against intellectual conformity
- Describe the role of individuality in human flourishing and social well-being
- Assess the limits Mill places on public opinion and government interference
- Apply Mill's principles to practical controversies such as education, temperance, and censorship
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 8
- Lessons
- 50
- Topics
- 104
- 01Mrs. Taylor's influence on Mill's doctrines
- 02Mill's Liberty and the individual versus society
- 01Contents and chapter list
- 01Civil or social liberty and its limits
- 02From limiting rulers to democratic self-government
- 01Social tyranny and individual independence
- 02Custom, class interests, and moral rules
- 03Religious liberty as a test case
- 01The harm principle
- 02Liberty of conscience, opinion, and pursuits
- 01Freedom of combination and self-regarding liberty
- 02Historical and modern encroachments on individuality
- 01Liberty of Thought and Speaking and Writing
- 01Silencing opinion as a loss to humanity
- 02All silencing of discussion assumes infallibility
- 03Fallibility of ages, parties, and public authority
- 04Discussion and experience as correctives
- 01Arguments for free discussion and the danger of assumed certainty
- 02Utility as a justification for suppressing opinions
- 01Socrates and the Athenian trial
- 02The crucifixion as judicial iniquity
- 03Marcus Aurelius and the persecution of Christianity
- 01Marcus Aurelius and the persecution of Christianity
- 02The claim that truth triumphs over persecution
- 03Modern legal penalties for opinion
- 01Social stigma as the real penalty for heresy
- 02Intellectual conformity and the loss of moral courage
- 01Free discussion as a condition of mental activity
- 02Truth as a living conviction, not a dead dogma
- 03Knowing both sides of disputed questions
- 04Why objections must be openly stated
- 01The fading meaning of received opinions
- 02Christianity as a dead belief
- 01Traditional doctrines and the need for discussion
- 01Partial truths in prevailing opinions
- 02Rousseau as a corrective to one-sided opinion
- 03Political antagonisms and minority views
- 01Christian morality as a later theological construction
- 02Its negative, passive, and selfish character
- 03Neglect of public duty and civic obligation
- 01Christian ethics and moral truth
- 02Four grounds for freedom of opinion
- 03Temperate expression and fair discussion
- 01Intemperate discussion and unfair advantage
- 02The real morality of public discussion
- 01Government Press Prosecutions and Tyrannicide
- 02Examples of religious persecution and intolerance
- 01Freedom to act on opinions
- 02Different experiments of living
- 01The intrinsic worth of individuality
- 02Custom, experience, and personal judgment
- 01Individual judgment and self-directed conduct
- 02Human nature as growth, not machinery
- 03Desires, impulses, and conscience
- 01Character, energy, and individuality
- 02Calvinistic obedience and the suppression of human faculties
- 03Self-development as a source of social value
- 01Individuality as development and social restraint
- 02Originality as a source of progress
- 01Originality and the value of genius
- 02The ascendency of mediocrity in modern society
- 01Individual initiative and eccentricity
- 02The need for diverse modes of life
- 03Public opinion and the suppression of character
- 01The despotism of custom as a barrier to progress
- 01Europe's diversity of character and culture
- 02The growing forces of assimilation
- 03Why individuality must be defended now
- 01The rightful limit of social sovereignty
- 02Freedom in self-regarding conduct
- 03Social judgment, advice, and penalties
- 04Moral wrongs against others
- 01Self-regarding conduct and social accountability
- 02Constructive injury and the limits of coercion
- 01Public interference with personal conduct
- 01Religious scruples and public coercion
- 01Majority control over amusements and private conduct
- 01Temperance prohibition and the Alliance's case
- 01Sabbatarian legislation and Sunday amusements
- 01Polygamy and religious tolerance
- 01The two maxims of social interference
- 01Free trade and limits of regulation
- 02Police powers and prevention of crime
- 01Antecedent precautions against crime
- 01Self-regarding conduct and public offences
- 02Counseling, instigation, and occupations that profit from vice
- 01Indirect discouragement of harmful conduct
- 01Taxation of stimulants for revenue
- 02Exclusive sale privileges and licensing limits
- 01Limits on voluntary self-disposal
- 02Retractation of contracts and personal engagements
- 01State duty to require education
- 02Parental obligation to provide instruction and training
- 01State enforcement versus State control of education
- 02Public examinations and certificates
- 03Parental responsibility and limits on liberty
- 01Three objections to government interference
- 01Danger of enlarging government power
- 02Bureaucratic rule and public dependence
- 03Need for outside ability and criticism
- 01Greatest dissemination of power consistent with efficiency
01How many chapters are in the On Liberty course?
The On Liberty course has 8 chapters, each with its own lessons and topics.
02How many lessons are in the On Liberty course?
There are 50 lessons across the course, and you can ask your 24/7 tutor about any of them.
03Can I see what the On Liberty course covers before I start?
Yes. The full curriculum is listed on this page, beginning with chapter one.
04Do I get a certificate for the On Liberty course?
Yes. Finishing the course earns a personal Cavua certificate of completion.
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