On Liberty

In this work, Mill applies his ethical system of utilitarianism to society and the state, trying to establish standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. The author emphasizes the importance of individuality, which he conceived as a prerequisite to the higher pleasures—the summum bonum of utilitarianism. According to his view, democratic ideals resulted in the "tyranny of the majority" and at the same time, the author, a renowned defender of women's rights and enemy of slavery, also warned of the risks that socialism poses to economic prosperity.