What do you think?
Rate this book
On Liberty and The Subjection of Women
Two cornerstones of liberalism from the great social radical of English philosophy
John Stuart Mill was a prodigious thinker who sharply challenged the beliefs of his age. In On Liberty, one of the sacred texts of liberalism, he argues that any democracy risks becoming a "tyranny of opinion" in which minority views are suppressed if they do not conform to those of the majority. The Subjection of Women , written shortly after the death of Mill's wife, Harriet, stresses the importance of sexual equality. Together they provide eloquent testimony to the hopes and anxieties of Victorian England, and offer a trenchant consideration of what it really means to be free.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
John Stuart Mill was a prodigious thinker who sharply challenged the beliefs of his age. In On Liberty, one of the sacred texts of liberalism, he argues that any democracy risks becoming a "tyranny of opinion" in which minority views are suppressed if they do not conform to those of the majority. The Subjection of Women , written shortly after the death of Mill's wife, Harriet, stresses the importance of sexual equality. Together they provide eloquent testimony to the hopes and anxieties of Victorian England, and offer a trenchant consideration of what it really means to be free.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1869
About the author
John Stuart Mill
2,069 books2,071 followersJohn Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. He was an exponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
November 5, 2018
Both JSM’s essays are extremely important and remain highly relevant for the times we are in.
On Liberty
Mill’s objective in the essay is to assert what he regards as a simple principle: society must not interfere with the liberty of action of any of its members, except to protect the rest of its members from harm.
The ideas in “On Liberty” remain highly relevant today. To take one example, consider the case of Transgender rights.
Mill would say that people – at least adults with the normal capacities - should be free to run experiments on their own lives without interference.
We cannot presume to know better than them their feelings and preferences and should not interfere with their freedom to self-identify as a woman or as a man. Some good reasons not to interfere are:
• We could be wrong - gender might be entirely socially constructed and not fixed by our natal sex
• It would be an infringement of that person’s sovereignty over their own body
• We have a personal interest in our own well-being and unique access to our thoughts and preferences, so no one else is better positioned to know what’s right for us
• When we interfere things often end badly due to a wrong approach or unintended consequences
Under Mill’s utilitarian philosophy, actions are meritorious when they bring about good consequences, net of their harms. Legitimizing the rights of transgender people undoubtedly benefits some – those who feel trapped in the wrong body - but the analysis would be incomplete without considering the harms.
Children, believing themselves trans, may be given hormone blockers to delay the onset of puberty only to feel dismay and regret their eventual sterility. If predatory men self-identify as trans women to access women-only spaces, women are worse off.
The trans issue thus lies at the border of Mill’s two principles. The first being that individuals are sovereign over their own bodies and minds, and the second that they must not cause harm to others.
Mill considers gambling houses and pimps as other examples where the two principles converge, and his assessment suggests he would likely err on the side of allowing such activities despite the social harms.
It’s important to appreciate both sides of Mill’s argument. He is granting great liberty to individuals to develop their own individuality in ways the rest of society dislike or deem harmful to oneself. But if things work out badly then the actor alone must bear the consequences.
Unsurprisingly, Mill is unsympathetic to charity, as revealed by his remarks on the poor:
“…if what they need is given to them unearned, they cannot be compelled to earn it: that everybody cannot be taken care of by everybody, but there must be some motive to induce people to take care of themselves; and that to be helped to help themselves, if they are physically capable of it, is the only charity which proves to be charity in the end.”
The most important of Mill’s arguments are those he advances in support of the free expression of opinions.
“the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race... If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.”
Mill has a dim view of custom, whether religious or secular, because customs are accepted unquestioningly and are grounded in beliefs we do not hold with conviction.
Because most religious people do not question their beliefs, the doctrines of their faith have no real sway over their lives. Often believers and non-believers are indistinguishable in how they live.
We can only believe deeply when we consider the other side of the argument, and contradiction is vital for the emergence of truth.
“there is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides; it is when they attend only to one that errors harden into prejudices,”
Mill has a deep respect for Plato, because through his dialectics, he explored the foundations of our beliefs.
I find Mill’s arguments highly resonant and relevant for the current environment in which we live.
We are witnessing a polarization of society in the U.S. and elsewhere, and a refusal by many people to consider opinions which oppose their beliefs and ideologies. Still more disconcerting is the accompanying surge of intolerance that we see in the rise of anti-immigration campaigns and calls for protectionism.
As the world’s nations, led by the U.S., become more insular and homogeneous, we risk forgetting the reasons, so brilliantly articulated by John Stuart Mill, for why diversity should be so cherished and defended by a free society.
On the Subjection of Women
There are many layers to the subjection of women. Mill understood that their mental subjection – the enslavement of their minds by the social order – was more harmful than their inability to own property, hold public office, freely seek out a profession and so forth.
Men hold “women’s [minds] in subjection, by representing to them meekness, submissiveness, and resignation of all individual will into the hands of a man, as an essential part of sexual attractiveness.”
The harms from the unequal social relations between men and women, argues Mill, are manifold.
The obvious harm accrues to women who, outside of managing a household and raising children - a temporary occupation for most – have no opportunity to create a meaningful life by applying their talents to worthy goals and pursuits.
Society, too, is worse off because we lose out on the product of the talent and energy of one half of humanity. While Mill concedes that history’s geniuses are overwhelming men, he makes the Black Swan argument; the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The real reason women’s achievements have not equaled those of the best men, argues Mill convincingly, is they have not had the opportunity. Their time is diverted to fulfilling their socially given role of attending to their looks and dress, making themselves charming, and being at the beck and call of everyone around them.
The subtlest and most surprising of the victim groups identified by Mill turns out to be the boys and men who wield power over women.
Plato wrote that it is better to suffer injustice than to commit it. Mill, no stranger of Plato, expresses a similar belief that oppressors are worse off than the oppressed.
“Think what it is to a boy, to grow up to manhood in the belief that without any merit or any exertion of his own, though he may be the most frivolous and empty or the most ignorant and stolid of mankind, by the mere fact of being born a male he is by right the superior of all and every one of an entire half of the human race”
It is no surprise that Mill, whose thinking was so influenced by an awareness of human fallibility, would regard the endowment of a false sense of superiority as such a pernicious evil.
For Mill, “conduct, and conduct alone, entitles to respect: that not what men are, but what they do, constitutes their claim to deference; that, above all, merit, and not birth, is the only rightful claim to power and authority.”
Mill’s essay on the subjection of women could hardly be more relevant in the time of #MeToo. It turns out that, more than a century and a half after Mill’s publication, women have not been completely freed from the tyranny of men. There can be little doubt that Mill, though he would be dismayed by how long it took, would see progress in our holding the Harvey Weinstein’s of this world accountable.
On Liberty
Mill’s objective in the essay is to assert what he regards as a simple principle: society must not interfere with the liberty of action of any of its members, except to protect the rest of its members from harm.
The ideas in “On Liberty” remain highly relevant today. To take one example, consider the case of Transgender rights.
Mill would say that people – at least adults with the normal capacities - should be free to run experiments on their own lives without interference.
We cannot presume to know better than them their feelings and preferences and should not interfere with their freedom to self-identify as a woman or as a man. Some good reasons not to interfere are:
• We could be wrong - gender might be entirely socially constructed and not fixed by our natal sex
• It would be an infringement of that person’s sovereignty over their own body
• We have a personal interest in our own well-being and unique access to our thoughts and preferences, so no one else is better positioned to know what’s right for us
• When we interfere things often end badly due to a wrong approach or unintended consequences
Under Mill’s utilitarian philosophy, actions are meritorious when they bring about good consequences, net of their harms. Legitimizing the rights of transgender people undoubtedly benefits some – those who feel trapped in the wrong body - but the analysis would be incomplete without considering the harms.
Children, believing themselves trans, may be given hormone blockers to delay the onset of puberty only to feel dismay and regret their eventual sterility. If predatory men self-identify as trans women to access women-only spaces, women are worse off.
The trans issue thus lies at the border of Mill’s two principles. The first being that individuals are sovereign over their own bodies and minds, and the second that they must not cause harm to others.
Mill considers gambling houses and pimps as other examples where the two principles converge, and his assessment suggests he would likely err on the side of allowing such activities despite the social harms.
It’s important to appreciate both sides of Mill’s argument. He is granting great liberty to individuals to develop their own individuality in ways the rest of society dislike or deem harmful to oneself. But if things work out badly then the actor alone must bear the consequences.
Unsurprisingly, Mill is unsympathetic to charity, as revealed by his remarks on the poor:
“…if what they need is given to them unearned, they cannot be compelled to earn it: that everybody cannot be taken care of by everybody, but there must be some motive to induce people to take care of themselves; and that to be helped to help themselves, if they are physically capable of it, is the only charity which proves to be charity in the end.”
The most important of Mill’s arguments are those he advances in support of the free expression of opinions.
“the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race... If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.”
Mill has a dim view of custom, whether religious or secular, because customs are accepted unquestioningly and are grounded in beliefs we do not hold with conviction.
Because most religious people do not question their beliefs, the doctrines of their faith have no real sway over their lives. Often believers and non-believers are indistinguishable in how they live.
We can only believe deeply when we consider the other side of the argument, and contradiction is vital for the emergence of truth.
“there is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides; it is when they attend only to one that errors harden into prejudices,”
Mill has a deep respect for Plato, because through his dialectics, he explored the foundations of our beliefs.
I find Mill’s arguments highly resonant and relevant for the current environment in which we live.
We are witnessing a polarization of society in the U.S. and elsewhere, and a refusal by many people to consider opinions which oppose their beliefs and ideologies. Still more disconcerting is the accompanying surge of intolerance that we see in the rise of anti-immigration campaigns and calls for protectionism.
As the world’s nations, led by the U.S., become more insular and homogeneous, we risk forgetting the reasons, so brilliantly articulated by John Stuart Mill, for why diversity should be so cherished and defended by a free society.
On the Subjection of Women
There are many layers to the subjection of women. Mill understood that their mental subjection – the enslavement of their minds by the social order – was more harmful than their inability to own property, hold public office, freely seek out a profession and so forth.
Men hold “women’s [minds] in subjection, by representing to them meekness, submissiveness, and resignation of all individual will into the hands of a man, as an essential part of sexual attractiveness.”
The harms from the unequal social relations between men and women, argues Mill, are manifold.
The obvious harm accrues to women who, outside of managing a household and raising children - a temporary occupation for most – have no opportunity to create a meaningful life by applying their talents to worthy goals and pursuits.
Society, too, is worse off because we lose out on the product of the talent and energy of one half of humanity. While Mill concedes that history’s geniuses are overwhelming men, he makes the Black Swan argument; the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The real reason women’s achievements have not equaled those of the best men, argues Mill convincingly, is they have not had the opportunity. Their time is diverted to fulfilling their socially given role of attending to their looks and dress, making themselves charming, and being at the beck and call of everyone around them.
The subtlest and most surprising of the victim groups identified by Mill turns out to be the boys and men who wield power over women.
Plato wrote that it is better to suffer injustice than to commit it. Mill, no stranger of Plato, expresses a similar belief that oppressors are worse off than the oppressed.
“Think what it is to a boy, to grow up to manhood in the belief that without any merit or any exertion of his own, though he may be the most frivolous and empty or the most ignorant and stolid of mankind, by the mere fact of being born a male he is by right the superior of all and every one of an entire half of the human race”
It is no surprise that Mill, whose thinking was so influenced by an awareness of human fallibility, would regard the endowment of a false sense of superiority as such a pernicious evil.
For Mill, “conduct, and conduct alone, entitles to respect: that not what men are, but what they do, constitutes their claim to deference; that, above all, merit, and not birth, is the only rightful claim to power and authority.”
Mill’s essay on the subjection of women could hardly be more relevant in the time of #MeToo. It turns out that, more than a century and a half after Mill’s publication, women have not been completely freed from the tyranny of men. There can be little doubt that Mill, though he would be dismayed by how long it took, would see progress in our holding the Harvey Weinstein’s of this world accountable.
August 31, 2018
Read for: Intro to Political Theory
To be honest, I didn't read it as thoroughly as I should have. The only one I really actually read instead of skimmed was "Chapter 2: On the liberty of thought and discussion". Aka Freedom of Speech. And it was well written enough to merit the four stars. I gotta say, I like Mill's ideas.
Review to come after a second reading.
To be honest, I didn't read it as thoroughly as I should have. The only one I really actually read instead of skimmed was "Chapter 2: On the liberty of thought and discussion". Aka Freedom of Speech. And it was well written enough to merit the four stars. I gotta say, I like Mill's ideas.
Review to come after a second reading.
March 13, 2026
Sharp and progressive in a good sense. Two essays of John Stuart Mill, first one on liberty: ideas which after 150 years are solid and accepted as universal in western society, was to be fought for back then. Second essay, "On the Subjection of women" explores basic equality of gender rights: equality of vote, equality of property, completely annihilates all arguments given by the opposition and proves the subjection of women to be nothing more than the ancient law of power.
Overall, gives the impression of a strong mind applied in elegant reasoning, easy to follow (for a Victorian essay). Give me my matcha!
Overall, gives the impression of a strong mind applied in elegant reasoning, easy to follow (for a Victorian essay). Give me my matcha!
May 12, 2009
Mill at his most sympathetic.
March 12, 2021
This was a very good philosophical book. It's surprisingly accessible given its genre and time period. There's no question that Mill was ahead of his time, and it shows in both parts of this book. I really would like to read some more of his stuff, but since my to-read list is so long, I need to put that idea on ice for now.
September 3, 2018
Read On Liberty 2 weeks ago and then last week read The Subjection of Women. Who knew that JSM was such a feminist! Written from a place of reason and humility. I'd be interested in learning more about how influential he actually was in terms of policies.
June 5, 2011
On Liberty
For the most part, the essay was clear, concise, logical and even at times (at least I found it) humorous. As a Chinese, I found the Chinese references quite interesting. I liked how it placed some emphasis on education.
Why wasn't it longer?
Subjection of Women
As someone who has experienced the treatment of women in Asia, Europe and America, I was surprised how insightful the tract was on the subject.
In my opinion, Mill does a great job acknowledging the view of his critics.
For the most part, the essay was clear, concise, logical and even at times (at least I found it) humorous. As a Chinese, I found the Chinese references quite interesting. I liked how it placed some emphasis on education.
Why wasn't it longer?
Subjection of Women
As someone who has experienced the treatment of women in Asia, Europe and America, I was surprised how insightful the tract was on the subject.
In my opinion, Mill does a great job acknowledging the view of his critics.
June 27, 2026
In high school I became super enamoured with Mills Harm Principle: "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." I told everyone who would listen that was what I believe and incorporated it as a core part of my identity (I still think it's pretty solid). Now, over two decades later, I finally read Mills' arguments myself.
On Liberty is a bizarre book. On the one hand it's a beautiful statement of principles I deeply hold. When reading I underline passages I like and there were sections where I was almost putting more ink on the page than Mills. I wish I could've underlined almost every line in parts. However, I also think, if I didn't already agree with him, he wouldn't have convinced me. I like individuality and people being able to choose what's best for themselves and experiment to find the good life. If you don't however I'm not sure how much his arguments would convince you.
Depending on how you look at it Mills arguments were either totally successful or a total failure. Multiple times throughout the book he'll refer to a contemporary political controversy that's still being fought over today (regulation of vices, restrictions on allegedly harmful information, social censure/cancellation). On the one hand one could see this and think there has been no progress, people still feel much as they did in Mills day. On the other hand when I think of people today arguing against liberty (or at least the people putting forward the best arguments) I think they generally have a clear explanation (be it right or wrong) of why they think there is a harm to others that justifies restricting liberty. It also seems possible that Mills arguments were so convincing now everyone accepts them and addresses why their particular cause is an exception.
You can also see how different political factions could read what they want into Mills. Both modern left liberals and classical liberals claim to be the descendants of Mills and it's pretty obvious when reading which paragraphs each side would play up as his core insight. In general he'll put forward general principles that if you take them seriously would make you libertarian, but he also has a bunch of carveouts and caveats that you could mostly use to justify a modern left liberal conception of the state (at least until he argues against government efficiency in section 5). He thinks there are things one should be compelled to provide for the benefit of others, like civic service of serving on a jury, paying taxes to support joint work necessary to the interest of society, and to support universal education (though he is not a fan of state-run education). Moreover he regards individuality as the greatest good and wants people to be independent and self actualized, you can see how people who feel the same way, but also think there are economic barriers and power structures that prevent people from fully realizing themselves and can be addressed by government would see a lot of things they think important in Mills philosophy.
If you are thinking of reading but aren't sure whether you'll enjoy it, I'd suggest starting with Chapter 1. It's only about 15 pages and lays out his major claims with some very beautiful language. If you enjoy it read on. Alternatively Chapter 5 could also be worth perusing as it's where some of the wild stuff shows up (see below). Also check out the dedication, it is very sweet and sad.
Chapter 2 is Mills presents his biggest arguments. Basically he uses Chapter 2 to argue for freedom of speech/press and then says everything else follows from that.
In Chapter 3 he argues if you've accepted his arguments against banning opinions you can't really argue for banning putting those opinions into practice. He puts forward an eloquent argument for people's right to persue their own happiness and interest. At times it feels almost like an argument for self actualization. I vibe hard with this, but don't think he necessarily has convincing arguments.
In Chapter 4 he argues against the idea that it's ok for a self governing people to impose limits on themselves as long as a majority agree and laws are equally applied. He disagrees and says a majority of people shouldn't be able to restrict the actions of others, unless there is direct harm to another person.
Chapter 5 is a wild ride. It's Mills going through various applications of his principles and he reaches some very weird places (at least to modern eyes). He argues that banning the sale of over the counter poison is an outrageous assault on Liberty, but is fine with regulating the hours pubs should be open and thinks you should tax alcohol to maximize revenue (an early example of the Laffer Curve). He doesn't go as far as to propose a one child policy, but he does say "[in an overpopulated country] to produce children, beyond a very small number, with the effect of reducing the reward of labour by their competition, is a serious offence against all who live by the remuneration of their labour." He's pro mandating universal education but basically wants them to be charters "that the whole or any large part of the education of the people should be in State hands, I go as far as any one in deprecating." He concludes with an argument against government efficiency arguing that a competent government is a dangerous government. Each of his arguments sounds sort of plausible on its own, but together they form a collage that seems very weird to modern eyes.
Would highly recommend. For a nearly two century old book Mills writes surprisingly clearly and engagingly. Good mix of contemporary and archaic, within the same paragraph he'll talk about arguments and ideas that parallel modern ones and also make claims that seem incredibly wild to us.
On Liberty is a bizarre book. On the one hand it's a beautiful statement of principles I deeply hold. When reading I underline passages I like and there were sections where I was almost putting more ink on the page than Mills. I wish I could've underlined almost every line in parts. However, I also think, if I didn't already agree with him, he wouldn't have convinced me. I like individuality and people being able to choose what's best for themselves and experiment to find the good life. If you don't however I'm not sure how much his arguments would convince you.
Depending on how you look at it Mills arguments were either totally successful or a total failure. Multiple times throughout the book he'll refer to a contemporary political controversy that's still being fought over today (regulation of vices, restrictions on allegedly harmful information, social censure/cancellation). On the one hand one could see this and think there has been no progress, people still feel much as they did in Mills day. On the other hand when I think of people today arguing against liberty (or at least the people putting forward the best arguments) I think they generally have a clear explanation (be it right or wrong) of why they think there is a harm to others that justifies restricting liberty. It also seems possible that Mills arguments were so convincing now everyone accepts them and addresses why their particular cause is an exception.
You can also see how different political factions could read what they want into Mills. Both modern left liberals and classical liberals claim to be the descendants of Mills and it's pretty obvious when reading which paragraphs each side would play up as his core insight. In general he'll put forward general principles that if you take them seriously would make you libertarian, but he also has a bunch of carveouts and caveats that you could mostly use to justify a modern left liberal conception of the state (at least until he argues against government efficiency in section 5). He thinks there are things one should be compelled to provide for the benefit of others, like civic service of serving on a jury, paying taxes to support joint work necessary to the interest of society, and to support universal education (though he is not a fan of state-run education). Moreover he regards individuality as the greatest good and wants people to be independent and self actualized, you can see how people who feel the same way, but also think there are economic barriers and power structures that prevent people from fully realizing themselves and can be addressed by government would see a lot of things they think important in Mills philosophy.
If you are thinking of reading but aren't sure whether you'll enjoy it, I'd suggest starting with Chapter 1. It's only about 15 pages and lays out his major claims with some very beautiful language. If you enjoy it read on. Alternatively Chapter 5 could also be worth perusing as it's where some of the wild stuff shows up (see below). Also check out the dedication, it is very sweet and sad.
Chapter 2 is Mills presents his biggest arguments. Basically he uses Chapter 2 to argue for freedom of speech/press and then says everything else follows from that.
In Chapter 3 he argues if you've accepted his arguments against banning opinions you can't really argue for banning putting those opinions into practice. He puts forward an eloquent argument for people's right to persue their own happiness and interest. At times it feels almost like an argument for self actualization. I vibe hard with this, but don't think he necessarily has convincing arguments.
In Chapter 4 he argues against the idea that it's ok for a self governing people to impose limits on themselves as long as a majority agree and laws are equally applied. He disagrees and says a majority of people shouldn't be able to restrict the actions of others, unless there is direct harm to another person.
Chapter 5 is a wild ride. It's Mills going through various applications of his principles and he reaches some very weird places (at least to modern eyes). He argues that banning the sale of over the counter poison is an outrageous assault on Liberty, but is fine with regulating the hours pubs should be open and thinks you should tax alcohol to maximize revenue (an early example of the Laffer Curve). He doesn't go as far as to propose a one child policy, but he does say "[in an overpopulated country] to produce children, beyond a very small number, with the effect of reducing the reward of labour by their competition, is a serious offence against all who live by the remuneration of their labour." He's pro mandating universal education but basically wants them to be charters "that the whole or any large part of the education of the people should be in State hands, I go as far as any one in deprecating." He concludes with an argument against government efficiency arguing that a competent government is a dangerous government. Each of his arguments sounds sort of plausible on its own, but together they form a collage that seems very weird to modern eyes.
Would highly recommend. For a nearly two century old book Mills writes surprisingly clearly and engagingly. Good mix of contemporary and archaic, within the same paragraph he'll talk about arguments and ideas that parallel modern ones and also make claims that seem incredibly wild to us.
April 17, 2012
This book has some essays on the origin and nature of subjection of women. How women could liberate themselves from patriarchal system and patriarchal thinking.
October 8, 2026
I cannot begin to write a review of this book without mentioning the dedication.
Hey. John Stuart Mill, my guy. I am already throwing up and sobbing, what the fuck? I read this quote to my sister and she was fucking pissed because Mill wrote this about his wife, but she can't get a text back from a man on Tinder. I suppose all of the good ones were taken two hundred years ago.
This novel consists of two of JSM's works: "On Liberty", which was written in 1859, and "The Subjection of Women", which was written in 1869. An important thing to keep in mind here is how radical his ideas were seen at the time, particularly with how they regarded women. At the time, the entire world was starting to figure out that, hold on, slavery is bad actually, and is treating the events of the last several hundred years with a mild sort of embarrassment, and this book attempted to take the general public's newfound love for human rights and run with it.
On Liberty primarily concerns the extent of control society rightfully has over an individual person. One important thing that becomes very pertinent throughout the book is Mill's belief in a free market economy. He believes that government has overreached when it comes to social control, whether that be through controlling opinion and controlling action, even when it is harmless to society at large. His larger argument starts out by justifying free speech. He does qualify that this speech must not be working to incite violence, but otherwise, all speech must be allowed. Mill gives three reasons for this:
1. What if your opponents are correct? You miss out on learning the correct approach and alienate individuals with valuable outlooks and ideas.
2. Even if your opinion is right, how can you prove it without opposition? Ideas are grown and honed through discussion and disagreement.
3. What if both are sorta true? If each party only has half of the information, it's important to see differing viewpoints to complete your ideas effectively.
He believed that freedom of ideas were integral not only to a healthy community, but for a full expression of individualism, which is, essentially, the purpose of every person's life. He writes that societies and communities that do not incorporate new opinions and adapt, die. This extended to pretty much every idea. This book has some of the earliest explicit support for queer identity that I have seen so far, as Mill writes of the danger of impeding thought and action that society deems wrong, impious, or perverse. The weakest part of the book is his discussion of application. The difficulty for me was that he describes his ideas as "one simple principle", however, that simple principle comes with an astounding amount of "common sense" caveats that dilute the power of the argument.
The Subjection of Women was next, and it was straight banger after banger. I think that every man should have this book tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. Say what you will about my close personal friend John Stuart Mill, but he absolutely shreds a quote. Observe.
I am tremendously gagged. There are sections of this book that are divisive even now- I can't imagine what it would have been like to read this in 1870. Mill establishes that women need equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities. He emphasized the importance of a simple divorce. Much of his time is spent preemptively volleying disagreements, the most common of which is the appeal to nature. He makes a lot of very salient points, but my favorite is this: "The anxiety of mankind to intervene on the behalf of nature, for fear lest nature should not succeed in effecting its purpose, is an altogether unnecessary solicitude."
This is an absolutely fabulous book. Very thought provoking and salient. If you can't read both, I would recommend reading "The Subjugation of Women" first. It is still relevant.
"To the beloved and deplored memory of her who was the inspirer, and in part the author, of all that is best in my writings- the friend and wife whose exalted sense of truth and right was my strongest incitement, and whose approbation was my chief reward- I dedicate this volume... Were I but capable of interpreting to the world one half the great thoughts and noble feelings which are buried in her grave, I should be the medium of a greater benefit to it, than is ever likely to arise from anything that I can write, unprompted and unassisted by her all but unrivalled wisdom."
Hey. John Stuart Mill, my guy. I am already throwing up and sobbing, what the fuck? I read this quote to my sister and she was fucking pissed because Mill wrote this about his wife, but she can't get a text back from a man on Tinder. I suppose all of the good ones were taken two hundred years ago.
This novel consists of two of JSM's works: "On Liberty", which was written in 1859, and "The Subjection of Women", which was written in 1869. An important thing to keep in mind here is how radical his ideas were seen at the time, particularly with how they regarded women. At the time, the entire world was starting to figure out that, hold on, slavery is bad actually, and is treating the events of the last several hundred years with a mild sort of embarrassment, and this book attempted to take the general public's newfound love for human rights and run with it.
On Liberty primarily concerns the extent of control society rightfully has over an individual person. One important thing that becomes very pertinent throughout the book is Mill's belief in a free market economy. He believes that government has overreached when it comes to social control, whether that be through controlling opinion and controlling action, even when it is harmless to society at large. His larger argument starts out by justifying free speech. He does qualify that this speech must not be working to incite violence, but otherwise, all speech must be allowed. Mill gives three reasons for this:
1. What if your opponents are correct? You miss out on learning the correct approach and alienate individuals with valuable outlooks and ideas.
2. Even if your opinion is right, how can you prove it without opposition? Ideas are grown and honed through discussion and disagreement.
3. What if both are sorta true? If each party only has half of the information, it's important to see differing viewpoints to complete your ideas effectively.
He believed that freedom of ideas were integral not only to a healthy community, but for a full expression of individualism, which is, essentially, the purpose of every person's life. He writes that societies and communities that do not incorporate new opinions and adapt, die. This extended to pretty much every idea. This book has some of the earliest explicit support for queer identity that I have seen so far, as Mill writes of the danger of impeding thought and action that society deems wrong, impious, or perverse. The weakest part of the book is his discussion of application. The difficulty for me was that he describes his ideas as "one simple principle", however, that simple principle comes with an astounding amount of "common sense" caveats that dilute the power of the argument.
The Subjection of Women was next, and it was straight banger after banger. I think that every man should have this book tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. Say what you will about my close personal friend John Stuart Mill, but he absolutely shreds a quote. Observe.
"Men do not want solely the obedience of women, they want their sentiments. All men, except the most brutish, desire to have, in the woman most nearly connected with them, not a forced slave but a willing one, not a slave merely, but a favourite. They have therefore put everything in practice to enslave their minds."
I am tremendously gagged. There are sections of this book that are divisive even now- I can't imagine what it would have been like to read this in 1870. Mill establishes that women need equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities. He emphasized the importance of a simple divorce. Much of his time is spent preemptively volleying disagreements, the most common of which is the appeal to nature. He makes a lot of very salient points, but my favorite is this: "The anxiety of mankind to intervene on the behalf of nature, for fear lest nature should not succeed in effecting its purpose, is an altogether unnecessary solicitude."
This is an absolutely fabulous book. Very thought provoking and salient. If you can't read both, I would recommend reading "The Subjugation of Women" first. It is still relevant.
April 12, 2024
read this for class. i’m not sure if it’s because it’s that point in the semester where my brain hurts everyday from stress or what but mill is so wordy and makes very little sense at times. it really helped to talk about it in class because that was the only way it made sense to me sometimes. most of his arguments for liberty and women’s equality were good and very progressive for his time. however, a lot of the times he was borderline contradictory and in these instances you can tell that in the end we’re all just a product of our time and experiences. maybe i’m being harsh but oh well. in all, this was not a terrible read and is one of the more progressive things we’ve read this semester, but i was not moved by mill’s writing style or his specific arguments for women’s rights especially.
August 30, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
• On Liberty - 4 stars. I was only interested in reading "The Subjection of Women", but I read this as well since it was included in this edition. I thought it was a good essay and quite compelling, though it did lose my interest in some parts. But I liked it overall.
• The Subjection of Women - 5 stars, but I would give it 10 if I could. Such an exquisite essay that highlights the oppression that women had to suffer, similar to the oppression experienced by slaves. This essay should be a must-read for everyone.
• On Liberty - 4 stars. I was only interested in reading "The Subjection of Women", but I read this as well since it was included in this edition. I thought it was a good essay and quite compelling, though it did lose my interest in some parts. But I liked it overall.
• The Subjection of Women - 5 stars, but I would give it 10 if I could. Such an exquisite essay that highlights the oppression that women had to suffer, similar to the oppression experienced by slaves. This essay should be a must-read for everyone.
April 26, 2019
The two stars is mostly based on Mill's writing style as I cannot stand the extremely long paragraphs (there was literally a paragraph that took up four pages). Someone needed to teach this guy about separating related thoughts. It really made the process of reading this seem like a chore when I was confronted with these huge chunks of text, that while they may have been filled with well-thought out points and examples, were lost to me as I just tried to get through it. Still, this must have been so radical for the time. Women? Having rights?! That's insanity! No seriously, I mean you just read this and think, "exactly" because what he says is so true. It's no one's fault that they're born into whatever body. How does one's gender suddenly mean they shouldn't have rights? It's not cool, and it's great to read someone from a time when these ideas weren't popular highlighting dumb inequalities based in male egotism.
October 29, 2024
"Feminist king looks like a tree"
November 27, 2024
This edition includes an excellent forward that provided a historical, cultural, and biographical foundation for both texts that really helped my understanding.
February 20, 2025
On Liberty and The Subjection of Women
These books have been widely acclaimed for over 150 yrs and they are surely worthy. J. S. Mill was ahead of his time and likely pulled the western world closer to his expansive and visionary assessment of how things are and how they should be. I add my feeble voice to the chorus of those singing his praise for over 100 yrs.
These books have been widely acclaimed for over 150 yrs and they are surely worthy. J. S. Mill was ahead of his time and likely pulled the western world closer to his expansive and visionary assessment of how things are and how they should be. I add my feeble voice to the chorus of those singing his praise for over 100 yrs.
June 26, 2023
Wonderfully written and still relevant!
Provides crisp and clear argument for equality between men and women, linking masculine discrimination and power to slavery in all its various forms.
Provides crisp and clear argument for equality between men and women, linking masculine discrimination and power to slavery in all its various forms.
October 25, 2024
Yay women! Boo liberalism
April 2, 2024
1) I only read The Subjection of Women section per my graduate coursework. I will most definitely be returning to On Liberty when able. (Otherwise, sue me.)
2) Great piece, should be paired with Wollstonecraft for academic purposes.
3) MANY portions can be misinterpreted or misread if you skim, whethee because you are tired or are trying to rush before class. Be careful! This is not a text to take out of context (as I have seen several lower rating reviewers do).
4) Soooooo many things can be taken from a presentist point of view, such as arguments regarding Not/All Men. Mill is quite good at articulating the foundational errors in law and tradition that grant men the power to mistreat women and how such general permission leads to concerns regarding how ALL men have the potential to misuse their power even when NOT ALL men will actually abuse such privilege.
2) Great piece, should be paired with Wollstonecraft for academic purposes.
3) MANY portions can be misinterpreted or misread if you skim, whethee because you are tired or are trying to rush before class. Be careful! This is not a text to take out of context (as I have seen several lower rating reviewers do).
4) Soooooo many things can be taken from a presentist point of view, such as arguments regarding Not/All Men. Mill is quite good at articulating the foundational errors in law and tradition that grant men the power to mistreat women and how such general permission leads to concerns regarding how ALL men have the potential to misuse their power even when NOT ALL men will actually abuse such privilege.
January 4, 2013
For the five star rating to have any meaning, I have to reserve it only for books that have a lasting impact on me and have become a permanent formative text, and this is one of them. All reviews like this are subjective of course, but in my various political/philosophical explorations to clarify where I stood in the world, this is probably the closest I've come to a book that resonates almost entirely with how I think and feel. The one exception being that JS Mill didn't seem to approve all that much of having a good time in a physical sort of way. Other than that, his discussion not only of the freedom of the individual from the State, laws, religion and the usual powers that be, but also from the temptation to restrict his own freedoms through a tendancy to fall in line with "right-thinking people" is spectacular. He wants individuals to always think critically, to be objective and non-judgemental, to always apply what I had previously come to call the "Balance of harm" test to restricting liberty. If forbidding something does more harm than good, there is insufficient grounds to do so. Then the argument moves on to what constitutes harm. An important example relevant to our times is that JS Mill does not consider that one has a right not to be offended, which is essential to maintain free speech.
Finally, reading between the lines abot what sort of man he was, I think that I can categorically state that the Pythons were wrong to claim that "John Stuart Mill, of his own free will, on half a pint of shandy was particularly ill". He wouldn't have touched the stuff. Whatever anyone else thought of that.
Just read it.
Finally, reading between the lines abot what sort of man he was, I think that I can categorically state that the Pythons were wrong to claim that "John Stuart Mill, of his own free will, on half a pint of shandy was particularly ill". He wouldn't have touched the stuff. Whatever anyone else thought of that.
Just read it.
November 4, 2022
It’s scary how almost two centuries later, Mill’s essays are still relevant to our current perspective on Liberty & Women.
Although the language used is highly praised, I prefer authors who use simpler synonyms and focus on content more than fancy wording.
However that did not affect my rating because I wasn’t able to put it down after a few pages; and even though his radical perspective of those issues are mostly validated in this book, I couldn’t help but agree with him; although I planned to read it without judgement or expectations.
I definitely recommend these essays as some of the best references to ongoing modern day issues.
Although the language used is highly praised, I prefer authors who use simpler synonyms and focus on content more than fancy wording.
However that did not affect my rating because I wasn’t able to put it down after a few pages; and even though his radical perspective of those issues are mostly validated in this book, I couldn’t help but agree with him; although I planned to read it without judgement or expectations.
I definitely recommend these essays as some of the best references to ongoing modern day issues.
September 3, 2013
This earned four stars not so much because of its content or delivery, but because if it had not been available in this audio format I would never have been exposed to the these persons and their ideologies.
"Giants of Political Thought" is a series produced by Knowledge Products.
Summaries, quotes, excerpts, and biographical snippets are delivered by a narrator and voice actors. What I found to be very helpful was that they were placed within the context of their times.
I would benefit even more if I were to then jot down some notes, google more information, and then read the works discussed. Alas, time constrains and I content myself with listening as I commute.
Having said that, I strongly believe that our society would greatly benefit if more of us would study these works and talk about them and frame them within our time.
I was so surprised to learn that so much of what I take for granted are actually very recent developments, speaking historically. I find myself appreciating my freedoms and rights in a new way. I wonder if I could form, expound, and defend ideas as these "giants of thought" did so well in their time.
One point of interest is that this Mary Wollstonecraft was the mother of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
"Giants of Political Thought" is a series produced by Knowledge Products.
Summaries, quotes, excerpts, and biographical snippets are delivered by a narrator and voice actors. What I found to be very helpful was that they were placed within the context of their times.
I would benefit even more if I were to then jot down some notes, google more information, and then read the works discussed. Alas, time constrains and I content myself with listening as I commute.
Having said that, I strongly believe that our society would greatly benefit if more of us would study these works and talk about them and frame them within our time.
I was so surprised to learn that so much of what I take for granted are actually very recent developments, speaking historically. I find myself appreciating my freedoms and rights in a new way. I wonder if I could form, expound, and defend ideas as these "giants of thought" did so well in their time.
One point of interest is that this Mary Wollstonecraft was the mother of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
December 22, 2015
5 stars for On Liberty. I picked it up because Mill's concern of suppression of liberty through social pressure rather than despotic rule seemed timely given the aggressive turn of social justice in the past half-decade. To my surprise and delight, most of the essay is both relevant and fascinating. Mill decries the single-perspective view of reality that still plagues our politics. He perfectly examines the tone argument some 140 years before the term was coined. On Liberty offers no easy answer, but plenty of food for thought.
The Subjection of Women, on the other hand is a relic. It is much more a persuasion piece rather than philosophical treaty, and fortunately everything he attempts to persuade is generally accepted today. He also manages to really put his foot in it several places throughout the essay by playing along with ideas he has thoroughly refuted. For example: At several points, he emphasizes that everything considered "the nature of women" is actually something his culture had fostered (great point!), but then in the pursuit of persuasion, has decides to entertain the notion that women do have a nature - and suddenly sounds very much like a 19th Century gentleman.
The Subjection of Women, on the other hand is a relic. It is much more a persuasion piece rather than philosophical treaty, and fortunately everything he attempts to persuade is generally accepted today. He also manages to really put his foot in it several places throughout the essay by playing along with ideas he has thoroughly refuted. For example: At several points, he emphasizes that everything considered "the nature of women" is actually something his culture had fostered (great point!), but then in the pursuit of persuasion, has decides to entertain the notion that women do have a nature - and suddenly sounds very much like a 19th Century gentleman.
May 24, 2008
Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.
A prodigiously brilliant thinker who sharply challenged the beliefs of his age, the political and social radical John Stuart Mill was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. Regarded as one of the sacred texts of liberalism, his great work On Liberty argues lucidly that any democracy risks becoming a 'tyranny of opinion' in which minority views are suppressed if they do not conform with those of the majority.
Written in the same period as On Liberty, shortly after the death of Mill's beloved wife and fellow-thinker Harriet, The Subjection Of Women stresses the importance of equality for the sexes. Together, the works provide a fascinating testimony to the hopes and anxieties of mid-Victorian England, and offer a compelling consideration of what it truly means to be free.
A prodigiously brilliant thinker who sharply challenged the beliefs of his age, the political and social radical John Stuart Mill was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. Regarded as one of the sacred texts of liberalism, his great work On Liberty argues lucidly that any democracy risks becoming a 'tyranny of opinion' in which minority views are suppressed if they do not conform with those of the majority.
Written in the same period as On Liberty, shortly after the death of Mill's beloved wife and fellow-thinker Harriet, The Subjection Of Women stresses the importance of equality for the sexes. Together, the works provide a fascinating testimony to the hopes and anxieties of mid-Victorian England, and offer a compelling consideration of what it truly means to be free.
February 3, 2018
Mill has some interesting thoughts on what it means to be free, and I'm not sure I really agree with his ideal society. His pre-feminist work is commendable but, not surprisingly, not as well thought-out as 'On Liberty'. Still, it's commendable and somehow heartwarming for him to be so enthusiastic about female rights. No doubt his wife Harriet had some influence on that, though I also think she would've reprimanded the subtly misogynistic assumptions he very occasionally makes.
There's a lot to comment on, but it's no longer fresh in my very short-term memory and I really must come back to this again. I'm sure grappling with Mill on freedom and society will be a good philosophical exercise.
There's a lot to comment on, but it's no longer fresh in my very short-term memory and I really must come back to this again. I'm sure grappling with Mill on freedom and society will be a good philosophical exercise.
July 12, 2010
Does anyone else feel sorry for John Stuart Mill, after all those years waiting for the woman he loved to be free, they finally get married, then she catches TB and dies.
I've read these before; I'm sure of it. This year, I decided to re-read them because of Mill's mention in a PBS special and in A History of Britain.
The surprising thing is that much of what Mill says, even the feminst tract is still current today. We are still debating freedom and gender. I don't know whether Mill would be groaning that we still haven't gotten it right, but he would at least be happy that we're discussing it.
I've read these before; I'm sure of it. This year, I decided to re-read them because of Mill's mention in a PBS special and in A History of Britain.
The surprising thing is that much of what Mill says, even the feminst tract is still current today. We are still debating freedom and gender. I don't know whether Mill would be groaning that we still haven't gotten it right, but he would at least be happy that we're discussing it.
October 14, 2015
Two books in one.
On Liberty is the work that, more than any other, establishes the basis of modern Liberalism and I can certainly see why. Some of the writing style feels (inevitably) a bit dated, but the themes and principles discussed are as relevant now as they ever were - if not more so.
The Subjection of Women was published in 1869 and argues for equality between the sexes. In many ways, this essay takes the ideas established in On Liberty and applies them to an issue of the time. This alone makes for interesting reading but it is also surprising just how many of Mill's points are still relevant today.
On Liberty is the work that, more than any other, establishes the basis of modern Liberalism and I can certainly see why. Some of the writing style feels (inevitably) a bit dated, but the themes and principles discussed are as relevant now as they ever were - if not more so.
The Subjection of Women was published in 1869 and argues for equality between the sexes. In many ways, this essay takes the ideas established in On Liberty and applies them to an issue of the time. This alone makes for interesting reading but it is also surprising just how many of Mill's points are still relevant today.
January 20, 2019
I read 'On Liberty' for university, so I'm DNF'ing the other essay
Honestly, essays are so boring. Mill didn't have to make his writing so stuffy or nitty. He could have used ordinary language and short sentences, and his writing would be so much more engaging and fun to read. I had to start skim reading it because it was boring me to death.
I want to 'The Subjection of Women', so I'm DNF'ing this for now. I couldn't bring myself to read any more of Mill at the present moment. Maybe some time in the future. Who knows. We'll see, lmao.
Honestly, essays are so boring. Mill didn't have to make his writing so stuffy or nitty. He could have used ordinary language and short sentences, and his writing would be so much more engaging and fun to read. I had to start skim reading it because it was boring me to death.
I want to 'The Subjection of Women', so I'm DNF'ing this for now. I couldn't bring myself to read any more of Mill at the present moment. Maybe some time in the future. Who knows. We'll see, lmao.
February 14, 2012
My review is for The Subjection of Women part of the collection which I read for Victorian Britain. Mill writes a fantastic argument for the inclusion of women in realms outside of the family and brilliantly tears down the arguments of those who oppose him. An absolutely essential book for those studying women's history or history in general.
April 7, 2014
This book gives an excellent introduction to one of the most important thinkers and founders of classic liberalism, which is certainty different from contemporary progressivism. Those who consider themselves libertarian should definitely give this collection of Mill's two most important essays a read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews