 Despite his reputation as a classic Victorian progressive, Mill is more cautious and less deterministic than the other 19th-century writers treated by this essay.  He believes that continued improvement is possible, but not by any means inevitable.  Progress in Europe will come to a halt if institutions silence society's creative members (1859, 80–82).  Mill's works derive their urgency from the fact that he clearly thinks they can make a real difference.  On Liberty focuses on the argument for government non-interference.  On Representative Government discusses some of the ways that democratic institutions could be reformed to promote different points of view actively. 