John Stuart Mill's Influence On Modern Society

According to Mill, individuality is seen as essential to human progress and development, to the extent where he supposes that “it is only the cultivation of individuality which produces, or can produce, well-developed human beings”. We can infer from this quote that Mill has a strong preference on the freedom of action alongside that of thought and discussion, which constitutes a belief in the necessity of allowing different ‘experiments in living’ as the route towards creating the greatest happiness within society, as he believes true progress can only occur through development of individuals within society rather than the society over the individuals. If this does not appear as a revelation of much significance, it is arguably because of the effect Mill’s insight has had on modern society, as Mill gives great evidence of
However this does not mean that Mill’s account of the intrinsic worth of individuality is not useful to modern societies, the precision of Mill’s depiction of conformity in conflict with progress and development in society is staggeringly evident. For example, in the recent referendum on voting reform, we can see how tradition and custom eclipsed a genuine chance for change and development in part of society (voting) which, through remaining as a “stagnant pool” had prevented development and change for hundreds of years. EXCELLENT INTRO
Mill’s principles as a hero of Liberalism, and prevailing Utilitarian, clearly advocate social change at all points, as it is necessary to development and apprehension of what is best for the people in society, Mill argues that such a thing cannot be achieved without a free and