Why people recommend it
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill is a seminal 19th-century political essay advocating for the absolute freedom of thought and expression. The book was featured across multiple podcast episodes, where guests and hosts emphasized its enduring relevance. On The Rubin Report, Chris Freiman highlighted it as the single greatest defense of free speech, noting that he consistently travels with the thin volume. Richard Reeves discussed the work on People I (Mostly) Admire, identifying Mill as a prominent 19th-century liberal philosopher best known for this 1859 text. On Modern Wisdom, Rikki Schlott reflected on how her formal education lacked grounding in post-Enlightenment ideals, using Mill's work to underscore the vital importance of free speech. Tyler Cowen mentioned the book on Conversations with Tyler while tracing the roots of classical liberalism, noting its fundamental premise regarding individual freedom from external coercion. Jordan B. Peterson and a guest on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast examined Mill's utilitarian philosophy in relation to modern mandates and collectivism. Additionally, Dave Rubin and Ted Cruz discussed the book on The Rubin Report, with Rubin noting that a copy sits on his nightstand in agreement with Cruz's views on speech.
Who recommended it
- Rikki Schlott Discussed
- Michael Shermer Discussed
- Jonathan Haidt Discussed
- Richard Reeves Discussed
- Tyler Cowen Discussed
- Jordan B. Peterson Discussed
- Dave Rubin Discussed
- Ted Cruz Discussed
- James Lindsay Discussed
- Nadine Strossen Discussed
- Chris Freiman Recommended
- Brendan O'Neill Discussed
Rikki Schlott — 2 mentions
“and you know for for example I I've never learned John Stewart Mills on Liberty”
“For example, I never learned John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty'; I never learned the importance of free speech and growing up, even going to great schools and doing a philosophy degree at NYU, I didn't understand the importance of those post-Enlightenment ideals and how much they need to be bought into by the entire culture and community to thrive.”
Michael Shermer — 2 mentions
“I do think if you apply the principles of free speech as originally laid out by John Stuart Mill in 1859 his book on Liberty where he said okay look you might be completely right”
“if you apply the principles of free speech as originally laid out by John Stuart Mill in 1859 his book on Liberty where he said okay look you might be completely right”
Jonathan Haidt — 2 mentions
“so this is John Stuart Mill wrote one of the most important books in the Western tradition on Liberty Chapter two of on Liberty is the best set of arguments ever made for free speech”
“John Stuart Mill wrote one of the most important books in the Western tradition on Liberty”
Richard Reeves — 1 mention
“John Stuart Mill is a liberal philosopher from 19th century in the UK and he's probably most famous for his 1859 essay On Liberty.”
Tyler Cowen — 1 mention
“he was not only the founder of the modern research University but also one of the founders of Classical liberalism is fundamental Principle as he said it's actually a epigram for John Stuart Mills on Liberty is that the fundamental right of every person is to be free from external illegitimate constraints”
Jordan B. Peterson — 1 mention
“And what's so ironic about it is that, as you might know, John Stuart Mill, who was one of the fathers of utilitarianism and very often invoked in this current sort of collectivist setting with the mandates, right?”
Dave Rubin — 1 mention
“- Yeah, you don't get 597 1197.0 much further than that. 598 1199.0 I gotta show you. 599 1200.0 I have a copy of "On 600 1202.0 Liberty" in my nightstand. 601 1204.0 So I'm with you on that.”
Ted Cruz — 1 mention
“I gotta show you. I have a copy of "On Liberty" in my nightstand.”
James Lindsay — 1 mention
“that's in John Stehr Mills book on liberty is it's not enough to have heard that the other side the argument from the other side exists you need to hear the best case put forward by people who really really subscribe to it”
Nadine Strossen — 1 mention
“I think that's a very important and difficult issue which was discussed very extensively in the famous John Stuart Mill essay on Liberty”
Chris Freiman — 1 mention
“in particular his book on liberty is probably the single greatest defense of freedom of speech I travel with it you know I'm on tour right now I travel with it it's a thin book”
Brendan O'Neill — 1 mention
“and it's a point John Stuart Mill makes in on Liberty John Stuart Mill often argued that the worst kind of censorship is not necessarily legal or state censorship”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- The Coddling of the American Mind
- 12 Rules for Life
- A theory of justice
- Brave New World
- Culture Of Honor
- Daring Young Men
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“If you can go to my book, there's a picture of Einstein reading Walter Russell's first book, um, the second book, The Universal One. Because when Walter wrote this in 1926, he sent it out to 300 different universities and physicists.”