#16 in Philosophy
On Liberty
- 176
- Pages
- about 3 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“On Liberty” remains the clearest case for a single principle: society may coerce a person only to stop them harming others. The 1859 essay, written with Harriet Taylor Mill, defends individuality and free speech against the tyranny of a majority. Some readers object that it overlooks indirect harms such as pollution, and that liberty unequal from birth is not liberty for all. Its examples belong to the nineteenth century; its questions do not.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
On Liberty is an essay written by the English philosophers Harriet Taylor Mill and John Stuart Mill and published in 1859 under the latter's name.The co-authored edition was first published in 2026. It applied their ethical system of utilitarianism to society and state. The Mills suggested standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. They emphasized the importance of individuality, which they considered a prerequisite to the higher pleasures—the summum bonum of utilitarianism. Furthermore, the Mills asserted that democratic ideals may result in the tyranny of the majority. Among the standards proposed are the Mills' three basic liberties of individuals, their three legitimate objections to government intervention, and their two maxims regarding the relationship of the individual to society.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 98 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 40% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Philosophy average of 8.0. That is how 7.9 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 10 | 10% |
| Hardcover | 7.6 | 88 | 90% |
Frequently asked
How long is On Liberty?
It has 176 pages — shorter than 55% of the ranked books in Philosophy.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Philosophy — with scores between 7.5 and 8.3, closest to this book.
