Society has been swinging back and forth between liberal and conservative trends since the early twenties, and government has imposed new rules on our freedoms since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. If the trends continue, we may see more and more encroachment on our liberties by the government. The path our society takes will, no doubt, depend on the upcoming presidential election (2004). If President Bush gets the election, then there will be more action taken against terrorism and more of our freedoms that we enjoy will be taken away to "keep us safe". If the Democrats get the victory then there will be more actions taken to insure that our war on terrorism will not violate our given rights. In the essay "On Liberty", John Stuart Mill shows how society has developed and how it has taken the ideals of human rights and allowed them to progress as changes occur.
             "On Liberty", by John Stuart Mill, is an essay that is focused on Social Liberty more than Liberty of the Will. Social Liberty can be described as the kind and limit of power that can be used by society to govern the individual. This idea is almost as old as mankind itself, and has been one of the major issues of discussion and disagreement since its conception. As the time periods pass, and man becomes more civilized, the rules must be changed to accommodate the changing times.
             There has almost always been a conflict between the ideas of Liberty and Authority, earliest common recognition is in ancient Greece or Rome. In these times the conflict was between the people and the government, but the government was seen as a necessary evil and their liberty was to protect them from government. The government was in place to keep a group of people safe from other groups. The people saw the government as a double edged sword that could keep them safe from external enemies, but could also be used at will against them. Mill sa...