Three Essays: On Liberty, Representative Government, The Subjection of Women

by John Stuart Mill, Richard Wolheim (Introduction), Jack Stillinger (Editor)

The three major essays collected in this volume were written in the latter half of Mill's life (1806-1873) and were quickly accepted into the canon of European political and social thought. Today, when liberty and representative government collide with other principles and when women still
experience prejudice, Mill's essays reveal his sense of history, intelligence, and ardent concern for human liberty, and continue to shed light on politics and contemporary society.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics

550 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Peter Thurley]

On Liberty

[Strick]

Bit of a wade"

[Paul]

"That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfereing with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.... It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to say that this doctrine is meant to apply only to human beings in the maturity of their faculties."

[Emily]

I had to read The Subjection of Women for school. I was really surprised how much I liked it, and again at how readable he is.