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time；　and　then　stop：　when　does　it　stop？　When　it　ceases　to　possess



individuality。　If　a　similar　change　should　befall　the　nations　of



Europe；　it　will　not　be　in　exactly　the　same　shape：　the　despotism　of



custom　with　which　these　nations　are　threatened　is　not　precisely



stationariness。　It　proscribes　singularity；　but　it　does　not　preclude



change；　provided　all　change　together。　We　have　discarded　the　fixed



costumes　of　our　forefathers；　every　one　must　still　dress　like　other



people；　but　the　fashion　may　change　once　or　twice　a　year。　We　thus



take　care　that　when　there　is　a　change；　it　shall　be　for　change's



sake；　and　not　from　any　idea　of　beauty　or　convenience；　for　the　same



idea　of　beauty　or　convenience　would　not　strike　all　the　world　at　the



same　moment；　and　be　simultaneously　thrown　aside　by　all　at　another



moment。　But　we　are　progressive　as　well　as　changeable：　we　continually



make　new　inventions　in　mechanical　things；　and　keep　them　until　they　are



again　superseded　by　better；　we　are　eager　for　improvement　in



politics；　in　education；　even　in　morals；　though　in　this　last　our　idea



of　improvement　chiefly　consists　in　persuading　or　forcing　other



people　to　be　as　good　as　ourselves。　It　is　not　progress　that　we　object



to；　on　the　contrary；　we　flatter　ourselves　that　we　are　the　most



progressive　people　who　ever　lived。　It　is　individuality　that　we　war



against：　we　should　think　we　had　done　wonders　if　we　had　made



ourselves　all　alike；　forgetting　that　the　unlikeness　of　one　person　to



another　is　generally　the　first　thing　which　draws　the　attention　of



either　to　the　imperfection　of　his　own　type；　and　the　superiority　of



another；　or　the　possibility；　by　combining　the　advantages　of　both；　of



producing　something　better　than　either。　We　have　a　warning　example　in



China…　a　nation　of　much　talent；　and；　in　some　respects；　even　wisdom；



owing　to　the　rare　good　fortune　of　having　been　provided　at　an　early



period　with　a　particularly　good　set　of　customs；　the　work；　in　some



measure；　of　men　to　whom　even　the　most　enlightened　European　must



accord；　under　certain　limitations；　the　title　of　sages　and



philosophers。　They　are　remarkable；　too；　in　the　excellence　of　their



apparatus　for　impressing；　as　far　as　possible；　the　best　wisdom　they



possess　upon　every　mind　in　the　community；　and　securing　that　those



who　have　appropriated　most　of　it　shall　occupy　the　posts　of　honour



and　power。　Surely　the　people　who　did　this　have　discovered　the　secret



of　human　progressiveness；　and　must　have　kept　themselves　steadily　at



the　head　of　the　movement　of　the　world。　On　the　contrary；　they　have



become　stationary…　have　remained　so　for　thousands　of　years；　and　if



they　are　ever　to　be　farther　improved；　it　must　be　by　foreigners。　They



have　succeeded　beyond　all　hope　in　what　English　philanthropists　are　so



industriously　working　at…　in　making　a　people　all　alike；　all　governing



their　thoughts　and　conduct　by　the　same　maxims　and　rules；　and　these　are



the　fruits。　The　modern　regime　of　public　opinion　is；　in　an



unorganised　form；　what　the　Chinese　educational　and　political　systems



are　in　an　organised；　and　unless　individuality　shall　be　able



successfully　to　assert　itself　against　this　yoke；　Europe；



notwithstanding　its　noble　antecedents　and　its　professed



Christianity；　will　tend　to　become　another　China。



　　What　is　it　that　has　hitherto　preserved　Europe　from　this　lot？　What



has　made　the　European　family　of　nations　an　improving；　instead　of　a



stationary　portion　of　mankind？　Not　any　superior　excellence　in　them；



which；　when　it　exists；　exists　as　the　effect　not　as　the　cause；　but



their　remarkable　diversity　of　character　and　culture。　Individuals；



classes；　nations；　have　been　extremely　unlike　one　another：　they　have



struck　out　a　great　variety　of　paths；　each　leading　to　something



valuable；　and　although　at　every　period　those　who　travelled　in



different　paths　have　been　intolerant　of　one　another；　and　each　would



have　thought　it　an　excellent　thing　if　all　the　rest　could　have　been



compelled　to　travel　his　road；　their　attempts　to　thwart　each　other's



development　have　rarely　had　any　permanent　success；　and　each　has　in



time　endured　to　receive　the　good　which　the　others　have　offered。　Europe



is；　in　my　judgment；　wholly　indebted　to　this　plurality　of　paths　for　its



progressive　and　many…sided　development。　But　it　already　begins　to



possess　this　benefit　in　a　considerably　less　degree。　It　is　decidedly



advancing　towards　the　Chinese　ideal　of　making　all　people　alike。　M。



de　Tocqueville；　in　his　last　important　work；　remarks　how　much　more



the　Frenchmen　of　the　present　day　resemble　one　another　than　did　those



even　of　the　last　generation。　The　same　remark　might　be　made　of



Englishmen　in　a　far　greater　degree。



　　In　a　passage　already　quoted　from　Wilhelm　von　Humboldt；　he　points　out



two　things　as　necessary　conditions　of　human　development；　because



necessary　to　render　people　unlike　one　another；　namely；　freedom；　and



variety　of　situations。　The　second　of　these　two　conditions　is　in　this



country　every　day　diminishing。　The　circumstances　which　surround



different　classes　and　individuals；　and　shape　their　characters；　are



daily　becoming　more　assimilated。　Formerly　different　ranks；　different



neighbourhoods；　different　trades　and　professions；　lived　in　what



might　be　called　different　worlds；　at　present　to　a　great　degree　in



the　same。　Comparatively　speaking；　they　now　read　the　same　things；



listen　to　the　same　things；　see　the　same　things；　go　to　the　same　places；



have　their　hopes　and　fears　directed　to　the　same　objects；　have　the　same



rights　and　liberties；　and　the　same　means　of　asserting　them。　Great　as



are　the　differences　of　position　which　remain；　they　are　nothing　to



those　which　have　ceased。　And　the　assimilation　is　still　proceeding。　All



the　political　changes　of　the　age　promote　it；　since　they　all　tend　to



raise　the　low　and　to　lower　the　high。　Every　extension　of　education



promotes　it；　because　education　brings　people　under　common



influences；　and　gives　them　access　to　the　general　stock　of　facts　and



sentiments。　Improvement　in　the　means　of　communication　promotes　it；



by　bringing　the　inhabitants　of　distant　places　into　personal　contact；



and　keeping　up　a　rapid　flow　of　changes　of　residence　between　one



place　and　another。　The　increase　of　commerce　and　manufactures



promotes　it；　by　diffusing　more　widely　the　advantages　of　easy



circumstances；　and　opening　all　objects　of　ambition；　even　the



highest；　to　general　competition；　whereby　the　desire　of　rising



becomes　no　longer　the　character　of　a　particular　class；　but　of　all



classes。　A　more　powerful　agency　than　even　all　these；　in　bringing　about



a　general　similarity　among　mankind；　is　the　complete　establishment；



in　this　and　other　free　countries；　of　the　ascendancy　of　public



opinion　in　the　State。　As　the　various　social　eminences　which　enabled



persons　entrenched　on　them　to　disregard　the　opinion　of　the　multitude



gradually　become　levelled；　as　the　very　idea　of　resisting　the　will　of



the　public；　when　it　is　positively　known　that　they　have　a　will；



disappears　more　and　more　from　the　minds　of　practical　politicians；



there　ceases　to　be　any　social　support　for　nonconformity…　any



substantive　power　in　society　which；　itself　opposed　to　the　ascendancy



of　numbers；　is　interested　in　taking　under　its　protection　opinions



and　tendencies　at　variance　with　those　of　the　public。



　　The　combination　of　all　these　causes　forms　so　great　a　mass　of



influences　hostile　to　Individuality；　that　it　is　not　easy　to　see　how　it



can　stand　its　ground。　It　will　do　so　with　increasing　difficulty；　unless



the　intelligent　part　of　the　public　can　be　made　to　feel　its　value…　to



see　that　it　is　good　there　should　be　differences；　even　though　not　for



the　better；　even　though；　as　it　may　appear　to　them；　some　should　be



for　the　worse。　If　the　claims　of　Individuality　are　ever　to　be　asserted；



the　time　is　now；　while　much　is　still　wanting　to　complete　the



enforced　assimilation。　It　is　only　in　the　earlier　stages　that　any　stand



can　be　successfully　made　against　the　encroachment。　The　demand　that　all



other　people　shall　resemble　ourselves　grows　by　what　it　feeds　on。　If



resistance　waits　till　life　is　reduced　nearly　to　one　uniform　type；



all　deviations　from　that　type　will　come　to　be　considered　impious；



immoral；　even　monstrous　and　contrary　to　nature。　Mankind　speedily



become　unable　to　conceive　diversity；　when　they　have　been　for　some　time



unaccustomed　to　see　it。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Chapter　4。



　　　　　Of　the　Limits　to　the　Authority　of　Society　over　the　Individual。







　　WHAT；　THEN；　is　the　rightful　limit　to　the　sovereignty　of　the



individual　over　himself？　Where　does　the　authority　of　society　begin？



How　much　of　human　life　should　be　assigned　to　individuality；　and　how



much　to　society？



　　Each　will　receive　its　proper　share；　if　each　has　that　which　more



particularly　concerns　it。　To　individuality　should　belong　the　par