Of all his works, the one that lives on today is the shortest, On Liberty, which he wrote with his wife, Harriet Taylor, and published in 1859. It has enshrined Mill’s interest, even obsession, with protecting the freedom of the individual to do what he or she desires (Mill was a keen supporter of votes for women) without interference except to protect public safety. It is the Nicomachean Ethics of today’s libertarians.
