Discussed and debated from time immemorial, the concept of personal liberty went without codification until the 1859 publication of <i>On Liberty</i>. John Stuart Mill&#39;s complete and resolute dedication to the cause of freedom inspired this treatise, an enduring work through which the concept remains well known and studied.<br />The British economist, philosopher, and ethical theorist&#39;s argument does not focus on &quot;the so-called Liberty of the Will&hellip;but Civil, or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual.&quot; Mill asks and answers provocative questions relating to the boundaries of social authority and individual sovereignty. In powerful and persuasive prose, he declares that there is &quot;one very simple principle&quot; regarding the use of coercion in society &mdash; one may only coerce others either to defend oneself or to defend others from harm.