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On Liberty, the harm principle, utilitarianism
Mill refined Bentham's utilitarianism by arguing that pleasures differ in quality as well as quantity — intellectual and moral pleasures rank higher than purely physical ones. In On Liberty he argued for the harm principle: society may restrict an individual's freedom only to prevent harm to others, never merely to enforce a majority's preferences or protect someone from themselves.
English philosopher and economist, educated intensively by his father from early childhood, who later served as a Member of Parliament and campaigned for women's suffrage.