In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and mind of John Stuart Mill, the 19th-century English philosopher dubbed the most influential English-speaking thinker of his era. We trace his journey from a precocious child prodigy—learning Greek at age three and Latin at eight under the rigorous, experimental education of his father, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham—to his eventual mental breakdown at age twenty.

Join us as we break down Mill's most significant contributions to philosophy and politics, including:

• The Defense of Liberty: We discuss his seminal work, On Liberty, where he established the "harm principle," arguing that power can only be rightfully exercised over an individual to prevent harm to others. We also examine his passionate defense of free speech as a necessary condition for social prog ...