Freedom and individuality: Mill's Liberty in retrospect

Abstract

John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty continues to be debated a century after its publication. The article argues that many criticisms leveled against the essay are either irrelevant or misleading, such as charges of a genetic fallacy or a flawed ethical foundation. The author also contends that Mill’s defense of individual liberty is not inconsistent with democratic values, even though he displayed a bias in favor of intellectual eminence and was concerned about the tyranny of the majority. It is argued that Mill’s distinction between self-regarding and other-regarding acts, while not without its problems, is crucial to his defense of individuality, which is ultimately seen not as eccentricity but as a valuable characteristic for a flourishing society. The author concludes that, while Mill’s work suffers from omissions, the central arguments of On Liberty remain valid. These include a principled defense of freedom of expression and a contemporary understanding of the complex relationship between individual freedom and societal pressures in a democracy. – AI-generated abstract.