Library

Mill stated clearly in the introduction that what he wanted to discuss in "On Liberty" was "civil liberty or social liberty, that is, to explore the nature and limits of the power that society can legally exert on individuals." The essence of the book can be summarized into two basic principles: 1. As long as an individual's behavior does not involve the interests of others, the individual has close freedom of action and does not have to be responsible to society; others are not allowed to interfere with the person's behavior, and at most they can give advice, dissuade, or ignore it. 2. Only when an individual's behavior endangers the interests of others, an individual should accept social or legal punishment. Only at this time can society judge an individual's behavior and exert coercive power on the individual.