Final answer:
The claim that John Stuart Mill developed a case for individual liberty is true. He articulated his support for individual freedoms in his work On Liberty, where he proposed the harm principle, which states that actions should only be limited if they harm others. His ideas significantly influenced liberalism and the movement for women's rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that John Stuart Mill developed a case for individual liberty is true. Mill, an influential English philosopher and a proponent for individual freedom, articulated his views in his seminal work On Liberty, published in 1859. In this treatise, Mill defends the importance of individual liberty on the grounds of utility, stating that society should exert minimal control over the individual, a concept known as the harm principle. This principle holds that an individual's actions should only be restricted when they harm others. He emphasized that people should be able to pursue their own idea of 'the good,' so long as their actions do not harm others, advocating for a libertarian society with fewer government restrictions on personal freedom.
Mill's advocacy for freedom was not absolute, as he recognized situations wherein government intervention might be necessary, particularly to protect the rights of workers and to promote social reform. His ideas were instrumental in advancing the cause of women's rights, through his essay On the Subjection of Women. Mill's contributions to political philosophy, especially liberalism and utilitarianism, have had a lasting impact on modern representative governments and the ideals of personal liberty.