<b>On Liberty by John Stuart Mill</b>&nbsp;<i><b>On Liberty</b></i>&nbsp;is a philosophical essay by the&nbsp;English philosopher&nbsp;John Stuart Mill. Published in 1859, it applies Mill&#39;s ethical system of&nbsp;utilitarianism&nbsp;to society and state.<br /><br />Mill suggests standards for the relationship between&nbsp;authority&nbsp;and&nbsp;liberty. He emphasizes the importance of&nbsp;individuality, which he considers prerequisite to the higher pleasures&mdash;the&nbsp;<i>summum bonum</i>&nbsp;of utilitarianism. Furthermore, Mill asserts that democratic ideals may result in the&nbsp;<i>tyranny of the majority</i>. Among the standards proposed are Mill&#39;s three basic liberties of individuals, his three legitimate objections to government intervention, and his two maxims regarding the relationship of the individual to society.<br /><br /><i>On Liberty</i>&nbsp;was a greatly influential and well-received work. Some&nbsp;classical liberals&nbsp;and&nbsp;libertarians&nbsp;have criticized it for its apparent discontinuity[<i>specify</i>]&nbsp;with&nbsp;<i>Utilitarianism</i>, and vagueness in defining the arena within which individuals can contest government infringements on their personal freedom of action.<br /><br />The ideas presented in&nbsp;<i>On Liberty</i>&nbsp;have remained the basis of much political thought. It has remained in print since its initial publication. A copy of&nbsp;<i>On Liberty</i>&nbsp;is passed to the president of the British&nbsp;Liberal Democrats&nbsp;as a&nbsp;symbol of office.