Study Resources On John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Subject: Philosophy
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 16 - 18
Order Number: 14076

Since its publication in 1859, John Stuart Mill’s book, On Liberty, has been one of the most influential books on political thinking. In addition to its powerful contributions to debates about liberty and individuality, it is the foundation document for political liberalism, and its central arguments are currently taken for granted by all the main political parties in the UK.

The central argument of the book is that the only justification for restricting the liberty of the individual by law or public opinion is for the protection of others. Neither the law nor public opinion has any right to intervene in order to protect rational adults from the consequences of their own free choices. Some of the ideas in this book came into prominence again in the 1960s, in relation to the debate about the Wolfenden Report, which recommended that consensual homosexual acts in private should be decriminalised.

The resources contained on this CD-ROM aim to help readers understand the book itself. They are equally suitable for:

• Sixth-form students studying On Liberty as part of an A-level course in Philosophy.
• University students of Philosophy or Politics.
• General readers.

The author is an experienced teacher and examiner in Higher and Further Education. The resources consist of:

• Summaries of each chapter, which may be printed and photocopied.
• PowerPoint presentations on each chapter and on the subject of “Victimless Crimes”.

The page numbers in the PowerPoint slides are taken from the Penguin Classics edition, edited by Gertrude Himmelfarb, ISBN 0-14-043207-8. They can easily be adapted for use with other editions.

Six PowerPoint presentations, containing 68 slides and 14 photocopiable masters on 1 CD-ROM.