Mill’s On Liberty Chapter I

Utilitarianism

Moral theory where right actions maximize happiness; Mill emphasizes quality, not just quantity, of pleasures.

Perfectionism

View that certain human excellences (like knowledge, art, virtue) are good in themselves, not just for pleasure.

Liberalism

Philosophy that prioritizes individual liberty, including rights to speech, conscience, and free association.

Principle of Liberty

Power is only justified to prevent harm to others; people are sovereign over their own minds and bodies.

Qualitative Hedonism

Higher pleasures (intellectual, moral, imaginative) are more valuable than lower (bodily) ones.

Tyranny of the Majority

Mill warns that social pressure and public opinion can suppress liberty like laws do.

Tension: Liberty vs. Utility

Promoting growth may harm happiness (e.g. forcing traditional groups to change).

Liberalism in Perfectionism

True self-development must be freely chosen to count as genuine excellence.

Progress through Liberty

Mill believes freedom, combined with education, leads to human moral and intellectual growth.

Tension: Utility vs. Excellence

Promoting growth may harm happiness (e.g. forcing traditional groups to change).