This quote hangs high in the center of the IST building. What does this quote mean, and where did it come from? What meaning can be found from something written in 1859 for us, those focused on technology in the 21st century? This will hopefully answer these questions..

On Liberty is a philosophical work by 19th century philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859. John was a major advocate of the fledgling theory of utilitarianism, as well as a political economist, civil servant, and member of Parliament. John believed that the individual held supreme power in society, and his political views reflected his beliefs.

To John, this quote was the summation of his belief that a human being had the right to find happiness, and that happiness was different to different people, and most importantly that no government that ruled over the majority of society could provide happiness to all individuals. He saw a governing body as a "well-oiled machine" that worked on rules. While this worked best for Parliament, he wishes to convey that it does not for the individual. In Great Britain at the time, etiquette and class structures still reigned. It was encouraged that you were happier as a member of the upper class than as a member of the lower class. John asserted that this theory that all of society can be contained by the same simple rules for happiness was fundamentally flawed.

Mill defines the difference between higher and lower forms of happiness on the principle that those who have experienced both tend to prefer one over the other. Mill's argument is that the 'simple pleasures' tend to be preferred by people who have no experience with high art or other forms of educated entertainment, and therefore prevent those people from having enough knowledge to be in a proper position to judge. For this reason, in his life Mill supported legislation that would have granted extra voting power to university graduates, on the grounds that they were in a better position to judge what would be best for society. It should be noted that Mill in no way devalued the uneducated as people, and he certainly would have advocated sending the poor but talented to universities; it was the education, and not the intrinsic nature, of the educated that Mill believed qualified them to have more influence in government.

Obviously, times have changed. We live in a country that was founded on the right of the individual to find and obtain happiness. Our government is defined, and controlled, by the people. And yet this quote is still timeless! As a University student, it empowers me to feel like I don't have to fit into a prescribed path for the rest of my life, and that it is my right to be free to find my own way. Moreover, I believe that Mill would agree with me when I say the knowledge I gain here has the power to better the world. What my generation does today will define tomorrow.

As an IST student, a brand new meaning is gleaned from this philosophical wisdom. While we study technology, there is an over-arching purpose to all we do in IST: to identify with the individual. If we learn anything from IST, it is that a technology is only as good as how useful and accessible it is to it's users. We have a tremendous responsibility to make sure that information systems, or technological systems in general, are unique and complimentary to its users, and to allow them to grow and develop naturally with its users. Just because a system works now for some people, doesn't necessarily mean it will be useful to a different group of people or even that the system will continue to be beneficial for its current users in a few years! The technology must therefore be tailored for the people.

Human Nature is not a well-oiled machine, and is not subject to finite rules. Therefore technology, which must function to benefit human nature, can't be subject to those rules either. It must be as diverse as the people using it, in a way, as diverse in purpose, design, and function, as humanity itself.

• All factual information taken from various Wikipedia articles surrounding John Stuart Mill and On Liberty, and Utilitarianism