'On Liberty' Themes with textual references

Themes of J.S. Mill's essay On Liberty:

1. The Harm Principle: 

Mill contends that individuals should be able to act according to their own wishes if they do not infringe the rights of others. He famously wrote, "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others" (Chapter 1).

2. Individuality: 

Mill believed that individuality is valuable and should be celebrated. He wrote: "the free development of individuality is one of the most important factors of well-being" (Chapter 3). 

3. Freedom of Thought and Speech: 

Reflecting his commitment to individuality, Mill supports the freedom of individuals to think and express themselves without censorship or state interference. He wrote, "The strange evil of silencing the expression of  opinion is that it robs the human race, posterity, and present generations" (Chapter 2).

4. Freedom and Progress: 

Mill believed that individual freedom is essential to human progress because it encourages experimentation, creativity and diversity of thought. He wrote: "From the same high vantage point from which he sees the progress of those ideas and institutions which have led mankind from barbarism to civilization, he [the advocate of liberty] can foresee the time when ... society will ... be founded on principles which are more useful to the happiness of mankind than any other yet accepted” (Chapter 5).

5. Dangers of Comfort: 

Finally, Mill argues that conformity and social pressure can be dangerous for human freedom and the development of new ideas. In Chapter 3, he wrote, "The despotism of manners is everywhere a constant obstacle to mankind's progress." But this is just one of many main themes in the On Liberty piece, and it discusses a broad range of issues relating to individual freedoms, government intervention as well as state support for social progress.